


The intertwining of Light and Dark

by Goddess_Alexis



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Graphic Description, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Redemption, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:34:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 56,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28410243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess_Alexis/pseuds/Goddess_Alexis
Summary: After overhearing the promise of treasure, Link ventures to Lake Corta. Only instead of treasure, he finds a strange mage hiding away from the world.Now stuck with this stranger, Link must venture to each corners of the land and free the divine beasts. It seems this Mage knows more than he let's on....( co creator Katzedrache7! Go check them out sometime!)
Relationships: Astor/Link
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

The people of the Lakeside stable see a lot of different people. Mainly, they tend to get a lot of travellers who wish to see the beautiful lakeside or speak of ancient ruins. 

That's why no one batted an eye when Link walked in, dirty and ready to smack the next person that looked at him funny. He had just come back from fighting a Hinox at Herin Lake, after getting lost in the thick woods looking for the Faron Tower.

With boots caked in mud, he walked over to the nearest bed and plopped down, ready for sleep. Tired eyes fluttering closed as his head hit the soft pillows.  
Everything was almost perfect. But unfortunately, the other patrons in the stable didn't mind or care to keep their mouths shut. Which just soured Link's terrible mood even more.

"So he's not at Tobio's hollow like we thought?" A feminine voice questioned.  
"Seems so, I say we look more near the Zoni ruins, we may have missed something." A much deeper voice answered. Link just buried his face deeper into the pillows, trying to block out the other loud guests, failing miserably.

"I swear I saw some smoke coming from Costa Lake, maybe we should check there?" A third voice piped in.  
The feminine one spat back," And why would we do that? You heard the rumors about not only a strong Hinox near there but also a Lynal?!"  
*Yeah, Hinox smell bad*, was all Link could tiredly think. Now rolled over to his side, trying to get more comfortable.

The third voice piped again, slightly scared,  
"Well… of course I know about the monsters there, but what if he's like, you know, using that to his advantage."  
"I doubt anyone would want to live so close to those things. Though…." The first voice paused, " It wouldn't be out of the question for a dead man to hide his treasure there…" And with that, Link became interested in the conversation. 

His head shot up to the small group of people sitting at one of the tables. They were all hylian, but they weren't dressed like any other traveller he had seen so far. They had much more armor, as if ready to fight.

Luckily none of them noticed Link's sudden spring to life before he realized his own  
mistake, putting his head back down. He faced the three others this time, getting a good look at them.

The Hylian woman leaned in," Who's to say he's dead? I heard he's like 30 something, and if that's the case, we would have heard about his death by now." An older man crossed his arms as he spoke up.

"Cause he would be over 100 years old by now, and you know those are just rumours and myths Kassy." Kassy huffed back at the older man,

"Well, either way, it's a good spot to hide some treasure. But by Scout's account, someone may have already beaten us to it."

"That's true, if they can avoid the monster's like we can! And if the Hinox did smash them into jelly, then we can finish them off!" All three of them laughed at their inside joke, it sounded like a bunch of mobilns fighting over scraps. It irritated Link's sensitive ears. It takes a few minutes, but after their laughing fit, the smaller boy, Scout, yawned.

"So we will be going up there tomorrow then?"  
"Yep, that means you two should be prepared for a lot of climbing and fighting tomorrow." As their interesting conversation died down, Link was mentally checking his supply. Whatever treasure they spoke about, Link was going to be sure he was the first one to get it. Wherever there was rumored to be treasure, he was always on top of it, curious and hopeful for something cool and useful.

Link was also praying this "treasure" did not involve some shrine, as most of them did. The treasures then would just be a slap on the back and maybe a new weapon. He always hated that particular type of treasure.

Without realizing it, Link slipped into sleep while reminiscing all the times he was disappointed by such discoveries.

****  
The sun rose on a new day, and Link was wide awake for his next adventure. The three hunters were still asleep in their own beds. Now would be the best time for him to leave for Corta Lake. 

The young adventurer got to his feet and put on his muddy boots. He strolled out to the edge of the cliff. To his left, Floria Bridge spanned the massive chasm, roaring waves washing away dirt and debris. 

Link knew better than to swim through such powerful currents. Said currents were being fueled by multiple massive waterfalls. They decorated each tier of the mountain like a delicious cake. 

“Damn, I’m thinking of food once again.” Link muttered, remembering that he had forgotten to eat dinner last night. He quickly checked his stock. Apples, roasted nuts, salted mutton, a half eaten leg of cuckoo, and one honey candy. 

“I’m sure I can grab more on my way there.” He readied his belongings and started around the western bank of Lake Florie.

It takes a while for Link to get across the giant chasm. Mainly by backtracking and using his new map of the area on the sheikah slate. 

But, once at the giant mountain, Link looked up, glad that it showed no signs of raining. " It's gonna be a long climb, but for good treasure I'll take it!" Steeled by the thought of actual treasure, He began the climb.  
****  
After a few hours of climbing, Dark grey clouds started to eat into the blue sky above. Link could smell the earthy scent of rain and soil on the breeze. 

“Please Hylia let me get to the top of this cliff.” He prayed, his breath laboured. Link just needed to clear one more cliff and get to sheltered land before it could start raining.

“Almost there… just… a little..more..” He grunted. His callused hand firmly gripped a fern. Link slowly dragged his body up onto firm ground and sighed. A pungent smell ripped through his soft sinuses. There's only one thing that could smell so bad.

“Hinox, great…” Link grabbed his bladder flask and drank some water out of it, the cool drink providing some much-needed relief from the harsh climb. He poured some of the water down his back, letting out a relaxed sigh. 

Checking his sword to make sure it wouldn't break anytime soon, Link devised a battle plan. As long as he had arrows and a decent amount of durability on his sword, he would be fine. 

Now taking a second to scan the new area, Link noted the Hindox wasn’t too far away from him.Sleeping under a large tree, using the shade as protection from the sun. Just on the other side of the Hinox, is a steep hill that leads to Corta lake. 

"Maybe if I'm quiet enough, I can sneak by it instead." Sneaking towards the Hinox should be easy as long as he stays a good distance away and doesn't make any noise. But just as Link's luck, he doesn't get far, as he immediately steps on a few branches, waking the creature from its slumber.

"Goddess damnit." Having a bad track record with giant monsters as well, Link knows he won't be able to outrun the Hinox without getting slammed by a tree.  
"Looks like I gotta fight"

Its grotesque golden eye opened and looked at Link, he pulled out his Traveler’s sword. As the beast gets up from its napping spot, Link runs up and is already slashing away at whatever part of the body he can get to. 

Before long, the Hinox is now on its feet, ready to start smashing it's tiny enemy into the ground. Realizing that the time for recklessness was over, Link expertly puts the sword back up and pulls out his bow.

Pulling an arrow out of his quiver and slotting it onto the bow, Link has just enough time to Shoot it before dodging a massive fist. The Arrow whizzes out of Link's hand, landing near the Beast's eye, but not close enough to stun it.

"FUCK!" Link dodges another attack, pulling out another arrow and shooting, this time landing a direct hit in the eye. The beast falls flat on its behind, covering its massive eye from more attacks. Unfortunately for the Hinox, that's not where Link wanted to attack at the moment. 

He pulled out his sword once more and slashed at the creature's stomach, icky green blood now pouring out of the slash wounds. 

Right before the Hinox got back up, Link was able to snag a nice looking bow off the beasts makeshift necklace. Now with the new, much more powerful bow, Link distanced himself from the beast, giving himself enough time to aim and shoot another arrow into its eye.

But this time, the Hinox seemed ready for that, as it covered its eye with one of its massive hands. Good thing Link had seen the other Hinox do the exact same thing, he just needed to change tactics.

Putting his bow back down, Link ran up to the Hinox, going under the beast's legs. The monster watched and tried to catch Link right before he went under, but missed, slamming its hand into the ground and catching air instead.

The Hinox, being the stupid creature it was, tried looking underneath its stumpy legs, giving Link the perfect opportunity to shoot at its eye. He didn't waste this chance, pulling his bow back up and shooting at the beast once more, landing another direct hit, piercing the eye and skewering the small brain behind it.

That seemed to do the trick, as the Hinox screeched in pain before falling face-first into the dirt with a loud thud... Dissolving into a viscous black sludge and then evaporating in quick succession. All that was left behind was a few giant Hinox teeth, guts, and the weapons that were once attached to its necklace.  
Link walked over to pick up each item. Putting the monster parts respectively in the dubbed "other" bag. As for the shiny gold weapons, Link simply attached the three-pointed spear, bow, and sword to his back, leaving behind the old weapons that seemed very much ready to break on him in the next fight.

"No use carrying those around if they served their purpose." He tossed them into a nearby bush. Now with his adrenaline slowing down, Link headed over to the aforementioned slope down to the lake.  
Once there, Link spotted a run-down hut. It seemed to be built out of different woods and stone as if the person didn't know what they were doing when building it. The rocks were covered in moss and the wood overgrown with vines. Clearly little thought was given to the hut’s upkeep. There's smoke coming out of the chimney, someone is clearly there.

"Hmm, didn't those treasure hunters say something about someone?.... Maybe they have a few clues about the treasure!" Link excitedly ran down the hill, happy to get any information about treasure.  
Without thinking, the Young man slammed the door open, not even knocking first.  
There was one person inside, a man, covered in what looked to be like disheveled robes and a giant blanket. The man, once facing away from the door, now looked at Link with pure terror on his face. 

It only got worse once he recognizes who he's seeing.  
"No…." Is all the stranger said his voice quivering.  
Link, blissfully unaware, santured up to the strange man.The stranger, in turn, does his best to back away from Link, to the point he's on a counter, back on the wall.

All he could see was the man's face. What looked to be gnarled black burns on the man's right side. The burns, in question, seemed to have eaten up most of his ear and claimed an eye, leaving the eyelid sagging and ragged. It draped down over a hollow, leaking socket. The man was also wearing some sort of makeup, or was just dangerously emaciated, as Link could see the outline of his skull. His skin almost seemed translucent…. It’s pallor unnatural and sickly. Link decided not to give much thought on it. Finding good treasure is more important right now than a stranger's facial features.

With practiced ease, Link introduced himself,  
"Hello! I'm Link! I heard you know about some treasure?" The man just blankly stared back, as if he wasn’t absorbing a word Link said.  
Link, seeing this, waved his hand in front of the gaunt face,

"Hellooo, got any treasure to talk aboouut?" That seems to snap the man out of it whatever state he was in. The man frantically tried backing away again, only to be stopped by the wall. He honestly seemed like a poor animal being cornered by a feral predator.

"Y-y-yes just take all of it, le-leave me alone, now!" He stammered out, his voice low and dry, as if not used much. The man ducks his head down hurriedly. The giant hood he wears hiding most of his face. 

"Ok…. But where?" Link just assumed the other was really skittish. The man wouldn't budge nor speak any more. Now Link was getting annoyed at the other's behavior. Sure he just barged into another person's home, but when he usually does that they just say hi or mind their own business!

"Oh come on! I can't get out of your hair unless you tell me!" The small man looks around the room; books, papers, and bits of sheikah tech played strewn across the floor. It was all dishevelled, clearly the skittish fellow didn't have a knack for cleaning any more than he did for manners.

There was one thing that stood out among the mess, a strange orb, it sat atop a very clean desk, cracked in the center. Link curiously looked at the strange object, it looked almost familiar.

Without realizing what he was doing, Link cautiously moved toward the strange object, like one wrong move would completely destroy it. The orb almost seemed to glow a dark purple as he approached, the same color the rouge Guardians displayed when they spotted him.  
Before Link could get a chance to examine the strange object, the Gaudy man blurted out," Its up the mountain!"

Link jumped at the sudden voice, coming back from whatever trance he was in. Still it did the trick and caught Link's attention, so the man continued, " T-the treasure, I mean. Climb the cliff behind this shack and the treasure is yours." The man puts himself into a huddled position on top of the counter.

"Just... Leave and don't come back!" Now Link may have a hard time understanding the mood of a room, but even he realized the Gaudy man did not want him sticking around. 

So with that, and the location of this hidden treasure, Link made a beeline for the door giving the man a wave and,  
"Thank you", before slamming it behind him.

The other just stared at the door Link just left out of, it felt like an intently before he allowed himself to relax a little.  
****

The sun was setting when Link finally reached the top of the cliff, sprinkles of rain fell from the sky, its icy droplets cooling Link down from the trek up. Just like before, Link scanned the area and deemed it safe to walk out in the open. There were no immediate threats… until, of course, there was.

As Link got closer to the open field, His sensitive ears picked up on giant hooves quickly approaching from behind. He's able to quickly dodge out of the way, right before a massive Lynal ran right through the spot Link was previously standing in. 

The centaur stopped itself from running any further and stood up to its impressive height. Its white and silver fur glistening in the setting sun. It stomped down, the mud from the rain splashing all over its hoof.

Link had never encountered a beast like this, he was both nervous and excited to say the least. The young hero pulls out his new sword, glad to have a chance to use it, the blade glistening in the drizzle. 

The beast had turned to face Link, as the silent standoff became more suffocating by the second. They both stared at each other, sizing the other up, Until the Lynal moved first.

It grabbed it's weapons from behind and galloped toward Link, preparing to smash him into the ground with a giant Lynel crusher. Link in turn, barely rolls out of the way, forced to go on the defensive.

Once Link gains his composure, the Lynal is right up on Link again, landing a strike right on the young man's torso. Sending the boy flying across the dirt, smudging much of his clothes.

Link sucks in through his teeth, feeling the most unbearable pain. Something may have broken. With sheer willpower, he gets up once more, trying desperately to land his own attack, but the Lynal is just too fast for Link to handle.

It easily dodged all of Link's advances, swinging at him a second time and landing, this time hitting Link's left arm alongside his torso. The hit easily threw the man off his feet again, this time tossing him clear off the cliff.

The drop wasn’t that long thankfully, but it did still hurt when Link hit the ground. Mud caking the boy even more, his ribs rattle from all the abuse. It takes a minute for him to catch his breath, the pain was like nothing he felt before. Each breath he took was like inhaling a thousand needles.

"But hey... (wheeze).. at least I made it out alive…" Now raining, whatever wasn't soaked in mud, is now soaked in general. Link tried moving his left hand, finding it difficult but not impossible. 

"Nasty...little… sewage boy." Link blurted out, delirious. He was just about ready to lay there and get even more soaked, letting himself bask in the rain until the pain subsided. Then a loud crash came from inside the little shack. Link had somehow ended up landing right behind it and could hear a terrible scuffle inside.  
Link slowly tried to up, the pain in his torso screaming at him to stop and rest. He wouldn't hear it though, screaming could also be heard inside the little shack. Whatever was going on in there wasn't good, and whatever wasn't good, Link was typically expected to fix. 

It seemed everyone was always too frightened or didn't have the time to fix their own problems. He expected something similar with the weird stranger. And Link would be damned if he didn't try fixing whatever was going on in there.

Picking up the Golden sword, which had fallen not too far from his landing point, Link hobbled around the shack and into the front door. 

Inside was The strange man, who was being pinned down by one of the treasure hunters from earlier. Seems they had finally made it up the mountain as well, and with no Hinox to scare them away, they were able to infiltrate the shack. The tall woman garbed in silver quickly jabbed the downed man with her foot, eliciting a low grunt.

The much bigger, older, hunter spotted Link first.  
"Well it looks like our little Mage here has a friend, Scout, have you found anything yet?" The younger boy, Scout, was further in the back throwing different books and objects around, as if looking for something.

"Not yet sir!" Scout continued trashing the place. The other one, Kassy, kept the owner of the house pinned down with her weight, a cold sword right against his back. She lands another blow with her boot, this time aimed at his chest.

"Well we can't let the kid see this, can we? Can't let a witness escape. Right Danni?" Kassy nonchalantly asked, staring at Link as well. Her icy blue eyes bore experience in the arts of killing and death. It sent a chill down Link's spine, as he pulled up his sword, getting ready for a fight if need be.

"Of course. Can't let the little bugger run off with any information or loot. Don't want a bounty over our own heads for this shit." And with that, the older gentleman, Danni, unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Link.  
**  
Out of all the times Link wished he picked up some sort of shield during his adventure, this was one of them. Danni had viciously lunged into an attack, leaving no room for mistakes. Link tried backing away from the onslaught, out into the pouring rain.The waterfall nearby roaring as if cheering for the two fighters. Link tried to block the many slashes from the other's sword, But just like the Lynal, Danni gave no signs of letting up. His wounds were catching up to him. Link would have to try a different strategy soon.

"Guess I'll have to make my own opening." Link mindfully doged the next attack, then took the slight opening to bash Danni from over the head with the blunt of his sword. That seemed to do the trick as the older man stumbled, trying to catch his balance.  
With easy succession, Link slashed at Danni's back. The fresh wound spilling blood, mixing with the rain. The man fell to the ground, groaning. Link, naively assuming the fight was already over, sheathed his sword, ready to head back into the shelter and help its owner.

Unfortunately Danni wouldn't go out that easy. He grabbed Link's ankle, pulled a small dagger, and stabbed it right into the boy's leg. 

"AJHGGG!" Link fell face first into the dirt as well, pulled his leg up trying to clutch his own wound. Danni used this moment to stand up, the rain stinging his back as he looked down at Link. Looked at him as if he was nothing more than unwanted dirt on his shoe.

"This is the end of the line for you boy…" Danni violently ripped the dagger out of Link's leg, intent on slitting the boy's throat right then and there. 

Then Link unexpectedly kicked Danni in the groin. Not even Link knows what caused him to do this, maybe a last ditch attempt. But it was enough for Danni to reel over again, giving Link the leverage he needed to grab his sword and swing it.

It sliced Danni's windpipe in half, causing him to grab at it before falling down to his knees. A fountain of blood gushed from the gaping wound. Danni gurgled and sputtered as he attempted to halt the blood. The older man's entire body fell and hit the ground for the last time.

Link sat there in shock, he just killed a man. And to go by how aggressive Danni was, his two friends won't be any nicer. Then he remembered the gaudy man was still in trouble. Link rushed to get up and back into the shack, finding the same scene before he left.  
Kassy still has the Gaudy man pinned down, this time her silver rapier is to his neck, and Scout was attempting to topple down a heavy bookcase. By the looks of it, the scrawny boy was having a difficult time getting it to budge. He grunted and swore with the effort.

Kassy, noticing that it was Link who returned and not her friend, scowled,  
“What the fuck?! Where's Danni!" She seemed ready to kill the man both below and in front of her.

"Dead…" was all Link could wheeze out, exhaustion from all the fighting was finally creeping up on him. He didn't know if he could handle fighting two more people, let alone kill them if it came down to it. Link was losing blood, most likely had a broken bone, and was freezing from the rain.

The atmosphere seemed to freeze up right then, as Scout stopped trying to pry the bookshelf down to look at the bloodied boy. His maroon red eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"What…" all everyone could hear was the rain pounding on the roof, you could hear a pin drop at how quiet it got. No one made a move, all too caught up in the realization of what Link did. That is, Until the strange man moved to yank the sword out of Kassy's hand.

Realizing her mistake, Kassy attempted to strengthen her hold on the rapier, ultimately losing her grip as it slipped away. The stranger threw it across the room and lunged at his attacker before getting a face full of fist. Blood sprayed across the filthy floor.

The woman seemed to be satisfied when the man's skull connected with her fists, making an awful crunching sound. Link, as of seeing this, tried to run up and strike down the maniac. He promptly got stopped by another dagger to his throat, cold steel brushing against his peach fuzz.

Scout had stepped in between the three, ready to protect his remaining partner in crime. Link, not having time for this, took a battle stance and rammed into the other boy with all his might. Despite his wounds, Link still was mostly muscle. Scout easily toppled over and in turn rammed into Kassy, both falling off the prone stranger.

The gaudy man wasted no time in sitting up to pull a much fancier dagger from his ragged robes. He flashed them a horrific grin, revealing his bloodied teeth and tattered cheek. The two hunters, stunned, didn't notice Link walking up to both of them.  
He stared down at them, his own cold expression showed no signs of weakness. It was almost like a switch had been flipped in the man's skull. What had just been the boy about to topple over from exhaustion, had been replaced with a warrior ready to kill anything on command. Link didn’t know nor realize what had come over him, but he did not care.

"Alright you heathens, I'll give you five seconds to get out of my home before I bleed both of you like a stuck pig!" The Gaudy man spoke up from behind Link. He spat some blood out from his dry lips and stared daggers into the hunters who had dared attack his treasure.

"Alright alright! We promise to never come back or speak of this! Just-just let us go, please we beg you!" The two hunters pleaded for their lives as they tried scrambling for the door, tails tucked between their legs.. Kassy gave one last scowl behind her before retreating with her partner. The entire house falling silent save for the pouring rain outside. 

The man keeps his knife out, pointing it to Link.  
"Why did you come back here?! I thought I told you to get out!" The skittish man was about ready to attack Link himself. The adventurer just dropped his sword and raised his hands the best he could. All adrenaline leaving the tiny man's body all at once as he slumped to the floor, exhausted from everything but still staying awake.

"Listen…. Don't need you to be so hostile anymore, it's just...me." He didn't know what to expect. Maybe the other calming down for once, or even a thank you? He did just save the other's life after all.  
"Of course it's you, moron! You're supposed to be dead!" Tears pricked his mutilated and good eye.

" I-I... why you little-“ Before he could finish, Link intervened,

"So you lied to me about the treasure first of all. None up there, just a Lynal." He pointed his finger up in a childish manner, whining pitifully. Any sense of that calm killer attitude was gone.

"Also, if you wanted me gone that bad, could have just told me so. But now I'm badly hurt and need some help, could you please get me something for this stab wound?" Link nonchalantly pointed to his hurt leg.  
"Why aren't you attacking me? Aren't you angry? Have you gone insane?” Link was puzzled by this question, why would he be angry at someone he just met?

"Nooo? Other than that cruel prank with the Lynal, I don't see a reason to be that angry." Link wasn't sure why he should be so angry, could it be that he knew this man 100 years ago? If that was the case, this young man should look a lot older. Maybe Link passed by him at some point in his adventure, but that also didn't make sense, seeing how recognizable the other is.

"Should I… Know you from somewhere?" That simple question relaxed the disfigured man greatly, as if an entire weight had been lifted off of him.  
His bony shoulders sagged, "No, no you shouldn't." he sighed as he grabbed a battered rag from a makeshift kitchen. The gnarled man kept his distance as he threw it to the Adventurer. Link in turn, used it to lap up any remaining blood and pressed it hard against the stab wound. If that was all he's getting, then Link knew he would need to make sure to visit some sort of doctor tomorrow.

"It's the best I have for now, as soon as the sun rises tomorrow I want you gone,understood?" The gnarled man growled as he walked off to a particularly lavish bed in the far corner of the house. Carefully laying himself down, so as to not disturbed his right arm. It was covered in stitched together clothes and bandages.

" I must make preparations for something in the morning, so I do not wish to hear a peep out of you." If Link didn't think this man lacked manners, he certainly did now. Link had a few questions, and he was going to get some sort of answer before succumbing to sleep.

" And what would that be?" The man made no movement in acknowledgement. Nothing but the moonlight and a lit fireplace to illuminate them. Sleep catching up on Link quickly, The man answered his question.

" It's none of your concern brat! If anything I should throw you out for the midnight stal-monsters for what you've done." He spat venomously. Link became too tired to elaborate on that, but finding the atmosphere a bit hostile, Link asked one final question, planning on asking the rest tomorrow morning before leaving.

" Alright, I never got your name. Could you…" Link couldn't help but yawn," please tell me?" He could have sworn the other man already fell asleep, given how long it was taking for him to answer. So with that, Link finally closed his eyes and drifted off to dreamland. Right before going under the man finally spoke. His raspy voice like a cutting knife in the dark.

" It's…. Astor…."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astor and Link have started their travels across hyrule. Astor hopeful to find a new hiding spot and Link happy to be there. Their first stop happens to hold more than what Astor can handle though....

Link was jolted awake by a loud crash. His head was pounding and his body felt terrible. It's as if he'd been slammed into 20 trees. Then he winced, remembering all that had happened last night. The fighting, the pain, the stranger…

Looking around, the little house was still a mess from last night. Link couldn't see the placement of the sun but if he had to guess, it was pretty early in the morning, given the light orange that cascaded through the small window. He also quickly notices that the other man is no longer in the extravagant bed.

A bunch of cursing could be heard from another room. Then that strange man, Astor, walked out of a door, right where the bookshelf once stood proud. In his left hand, a large backpack, sagging from whatever was inside. 

Link attempted to get up, only to stammer and fall right back down, having no strength to be moving around. His whole body felt like jelly, making it near impossible to move. 

That's when Astor decided to acknowledge the boy by scoffing, heading over to a makeshift table and picking up some strange-looking soup after putting the bag down. Link just sat there, watched the other man's movements, curious at what he was doing.   
It looked like a struggle, But the man successfully picked the strange food up and placed it on the ground, away from Link's reach, like he was contaminated. The small adventurer was just baffled by this.

"Excuse me but, what are you doing?" 

"Quiet fool, I do not wish to get near you, I'm merely scooting your meal towards you." With no manners, Astor did just that. He grabbed a nearby broom with the same hand to carefully push the soup towards Link. The boy had to lean over a bit, but he was able to scoop up the food. It was cold to the touch.  
Looking into it, this so-called "soup" was basically water, chunks of different half-cooked radishes floated around. It didn't even have a smell.  
But with all that happend, Link wasn't about to complain, he hadn't eaten for a whole day now and he'd eaten worse. Nothing was going to beat steamed salt rocks.

Shrugging , Link takes his first bite, making sure to eat one of the radishes floating in there. A prickling pain spread across the boy's body. His worse injuries seemed to meld away more after each bite into the tasteless radishes. By the end of it, the stab wound was nothing more than a bad scar. Link felt around the soft scar, amazed that such a bad meal could do such a thing.

Astor just sat there watching, for what reason, Link would never know. He snapped out of whatever trance he was in when the smaller man looked up from the meal, catching the others damaged eyes.  
The gaudy man could only scoff more, rolling his one good eye, any eye contact lost.

"So, it has come to my attention that not only did you lead a bunch of hunters to my door but you also have defeated the Hinox I was using to protect myself." Astor proceeded to dramatically walk around the destroyed house, putting on a small play for the adventurer. His tattered robes swished around hypnotically, not once revealing what lays underneath.  
"I've decided that because all my problems are because of you." He briefly stops to wickedly point at Link as the boy finishes the last of the soup. Astor gives an equally wicked grin, his destroyed lips only enhancing the creep factor. Whatever he has planned, Link is only mildly concerned for his safety.

"You shall be the one who guards me until I can find a new home." Astor seemed to have finished his short dramatic play there, his bony arm pointing right at Link still. He stared at Link once more with his single piss-yellow eye, waiting for an answer.

Link just gulped his last bite, annoyed at being told to do something he did not sign up for. He isn't obligated to help this man. Sure he barged into a stranger's home demanding their valuables, but he saved the man from certain death! They should be even at least. Link would complain that much.

“I don't know who you think you are buddy, but last I checked, those treasure hunters led me here. I just beat them to the punch." He sat the now-empty bowl down, all his energy rushing back. He was 100% ready to fist fight this man now, who had the audacity to boss his savior around.

"Well I do not care who led who where, I must leave this place before they return with reinforcements and in my weak state," Astor opened his arm up, refuting to himself,"I need someone to protect me." The gaudy man had picked up his backpack, threw it onto the plush bed attempting to pack a giant fluffy blanket.

"Well sorry to burst your bubble mister….Ass" Link snapped his fingers trying to remember last night. He knew the other must have said something about a name… ass… ass…"Astor." Link snapped his finger once more, pointing to Astor in a eureka moment.

"Yes yes, Astor, well I don't care who you think you are trying to boss me around. I still have a few questions." Link crossed his arms in trumpet, head held high.  
"I do not have time for this ridiculous notion of getting to know someone, I-" Link cut him off with his first question.

"Who are you, and why were those people after you?” Astor looked back at Link, disdain clearly shot on his disfigured face. Not liking this question at all, he gave an awful sneer.

"Well for starters, Those people back there weren't treasure hunters, they were bounty hunters. I'm a powerful mage and people want me dead. Simple as that." Astor finally finished packing the giant blanket, hefting It up and slotting it onto his back with a grunt. It seemed a little too heavy for the lanky man but he seemed to manage just fine.

"Now if you could kindly pick your shit up, We must be off." Without giving Link a chance to collect himself, the lanky man headed for the door, his ragged cape blowing behind him. Link still had one more question.

"Wait you soggy sack of bones! I still need to talk to you!" Link picked himself off the ground, grabbing at his own smaller pack before running off to catch up to Astor. The other man tried his best to keep his distance, speeding up slightly.

"Now just because you’re my bodyguard for the day does not mean I want you close!" Astor tried speeding up, only for Link to speed up as well. They both just end up speed walking down a hidden hill, An easy path for Astor to take without having to strain his weak body. To an outsider, it would be a pretty petty thing to see. Two grown men butting heads over such little things.

"Well excuse me princess, but I'm not anyone's guard and I still need to talk to you!" Link tried staying caught up to the other man. But due to him being so short and Astor at least a few feet taller, the other was much quicker, leaving a good gap between the two.  
*******

Kassy was furious to say the least. She had been looking for that fucking Seer for years and they finally found him, only for some blond twink to come by and save the day. She should have stayed, kicked that boy's ass, and killed that prophet. But with Danni's death, there was no guarantee of victory. 

Now wasn't the time to think about that, they needed to report to the clan. The sooner Scout and her reported the good news, the sooner they can kill that son of bitch Astor. Deep in the Faron woods, Two Yiga foot soldiers nonchalantly stood around. One leaning on a tree while the other sat atop an old statue.They only straightened up after seeing Scout appear.

Scout no longer wore his traveler disgust, now wearing his much more comfortable Yiga outfit. It was similar to their leader's, only less extravagant. His mask had only two sets of horns instead of three.

He was the first to speak to the Yiga members," Well men, we have some good news! We've found the traitor Astor!" The two low level Yiga oggeled at this revelation. Kassy could only imagine how stupid their faces must have looked. She couldn't remember every clan member like Scout or the leader, but there was one thing for certain, they must be real ugly looking underneath those masks. She would snicker at the thought if she wasn't in such a bad mood.

"Yes yes, we found him in an old shack up in Cotra Lake. I ask you two to report this to Father and ask for reinforcements." Scout tries to sound authoritative, only to come off as goofy.  
The Yiga soldier sitting atop the statue piped up, tilting their head to the side,

" Wait, didn't that seer betray us 100 years ago? Though he just died of natural causes at this point." Both Yiga laughed.

Kassy growled back," Well he's not, now go tell your-" she had to stop herself from insulting their leader, the last thing she needed was a bunch of angry Yiga after her. 

" Your Master, that prophet Astor still lives, and we need some help taking him down." Kassy decided to not mention the small hylian that stopped them. It was one kid, and the next time she saw their ugly little face, Kassy would easily dispose of the wanna be hero herself. The joy of ripping someone to bits for getting in her way was downright pleasurable.

The other foot soldier spoke up, staring down at a shorter Kassy,  
" Didn't you have a third party member? Where is he?" Scout seemed to sweat at that, the untimely death of their friend getting to his nerves. Danni was just a random traveler that happened upon them. After hearing their story of a rogue mage with lost treasure, he had promised to help them if only for the reward. He meant nothing to Kassy's goals. But to Scout, he had kind of been a father figure. Easily taking the role in stride. It only served him right for his death.  
If it wasn't for that boy who killed him, Kassy would have gladly taken that role.

That's why Kassy was the one to say it, no emotion in her words as she solidified the death,   
"He was killed in a fight." And left it at that, no more words needed to be said on the subject.

Then her voice got dangerously dark, losing her patience talking with these buffoons,  
"Now I do not wish to speak to you anymore, you're better off informing your leader of all that has transpired before I rip one of your heads off for asking too many questions." That seemed to do the trick. Both the Yiga looked at each other before looking back at Kassy, dumbfounded.

“Awww, you party pooper, and here I thought you were somewhat nice!" One of them spat, pretending to cry even though their mask showed no emotion. With nothing more to say, both of the low ranking soldiers got up and chanted a quick spell. Dispersing into a puff of smoke, their grating laughter could be distantly heard.

Scout daringly got closer to Kassy, attempting to consult her.  
" You didn't have to be so mean to them Kassy, they only wanted to help."  
Kassy just ignored her Partner, instead stomping back through the thick trees. 

" I do not wish to talk to such low life ingrates at the moment, I only want to find that seer and make him pay for what he has done to my family." She didn't give Scout time to rebuke her statement about the Yiga before she was out of sight. When he did catch up, Kassy silently looked him up and down.

"Put your fucking costume back on."

******

"Link for all that is ungodly, Quit it!" This had been going on all morning. Astor had to constantly yell at Link to quit doing stupid stuff like trying to fight sleeping moblins, or jump onto wild horses. After their little quarl, they decided that Link should lead the way. Or well… Link stubbornly didn't take no for an answer before walking in a different direction.

Astor was starting to get sick of it, how did this rodent manage to survive by himself? At this point it felt like he was protecting his own bodyguard. The Seer had his face in his good hand, not really paying attention to anything. He knew by the path Link decided to take, they were near West Necluda….or maybe in it. He could hardly care to remember at the moment, too caught up in his self loathing at the turn of events.

They had taken a pit stop at a stable, or once again Link had. Children ran around having their fun, adults sitting around a cooking pot, chatting up a storm. Healthy Trees littered the area, showing off just how untouched the plains were. It was lively, to say the least. 

Astor was standing way away from the stable, keeping his torn hood down and trying his best to not take up so much space. Honestly, what was that boy thinking, forcing him near so many people…. Being so disfigured and ug-

"Yo Astor! Come over here! You need to see this!" Link was at the lake not too far off from the stables, trying to wash his clothes from all the mud and blood. Only wearing his undergarments. With nothing else to do, Astor begrudgingly dragged his feet to the Lake.   
"So look at this snail I just found." Link pulls his hands from behind his back, revealing a pretty slimy creature, slithering through each of Link's fingers, trying to get down. 

"I've named him Isaac. Wanna hold him?"   
"No I don't want to hold your stupid pet." Astor tilted his head up in disbelief. To have the nerves to ask such a question, the insolent child.

"Awww, I promise he doesn't bite." Link looked genuinely upset that Astor didn't want to hold the little critter. "

It's a pretty cool snail, who wouldn't want to hold it?  
Being the impulsive man he was, Link swiftly grabs Astor's hand and slaps the snail into his palm. slime dripping from Astor's hand as the critter got comfy. It was a total of 10 seconds before Astor realized what had happened.

"EWWW WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Just as swiftly, Astor tosses the snail back into the lake, disgusted by the foul thing. He tries to shake all the slime off, only for it to fling all over his robes. Now Astor was furious at the young man. If he could, he would strangle that boy with an inch of his life.

"Link I swear to Hylia, I will end your pathetic life!" Link was even more disheartened. Here he thought Astor just needed to hold a cool snail. He had been nothing but a stick in the mud all day.

"Will you quit being so dramatic? You've been killing the mood ever since I met you." Link finished up cleaning his gear, laying them out to dry on the grass.

"Well I'm sorry! But some people happen to be sane!" It seemed Astor was about to go on another rant about sanity and how Link has none. Link just tuned him out, having already heard it 50 times over, instead taking the chance to study the man's disfigured features.   
Dried malice littered the poor mage's face. Link almost flinched at the hidden teeth poking out at his scratched up cheek. His eyeless socket seemed to stare at everything and nothing all at once; the ragged eyelid sagging over the leaking cavity. The malice bunched up and snaked around his neck and cheek. Something clearly happened to him involving that weird black goop. 

Astor seemed to have noticed the staring, as he abruptly stopped his ranting and tightened the hood covering his face. 

"Well hurry up what you're doing twerp, I will not be staying here longer than I must." He walked back to his original spot and ssculked. Wanting nothing more than to leave this awful haystack. It smelt of dung and horse, leaving an awful taste in his mouth.

It took awhile for the clothes to dry, once they did, Link slapped them back on. Enjoying the fresh feeling of his gear, The boy santurded up to his traveling companion, keeping his spirits up high. Link had a sort of surprise waiting for them at the end of this road. Ever since the Mage decided to tag alongside the hero, he had wanted to introduce the weirdo to someone. Someone who could help guide them on Link's mission to save hyrule. His Companion though, had other ideas.

" Great, Now that you're ready, we should head off East past the Fort. If I remember correctly there should be some good mountains to set up a base." Astor was just about to do that, until Link shook his head no and pointed North. North had a fork in the road, one path leading across a stone bridge in a terrible state. 

Astor had no clue on where the bridge led, if he recalled, wasn't there a town….  
Then it hit him, It lead to Kakariko Village. The Sheikah had made it their home for generations and was one of the few places not touched by the war from 100 years ago.

Now was the time to freak out. Link was already heading in that direction and if he were to follow it would only spell certain doom for the mage. He had to find a way out of it.   
"I mean, it's not like I'm obliged to follow that twerp." Oh but he was, and he knew it. If they went their separate ways now, Astor was sure to be attacked by rogue monsters or Yiga. With how weak he was, it would be a one sided battle for the attackers.

Link had turned around and noticed Astor still standing in that one spot. If he looked underneath the ragged hood, he would see just how frightened Astor was. Unfortunately for the mage, Link didn't and assumed Astor was just being moody again. He was getting sick and tired of it. If the man didn't want to follow then this whole trip was for nothing! 

" Yo! You better hurry up man! I don't mind leaving you behind cause I got shit to do!" That did the trick. Astor picked himself back up, sprinting up to the young hero. His mind was made up, he was going to bare through it and hide his grotesque face the best he could. Sheikah don't even live that long right? It's very unlikely that anyone from 100 years ago was still alive and would be able to recognize him. Right?  
*******

Astor was very wrong.

When they finally hiked up and entered Kakariko Village, everything was peaceful. Astor had expected pitchforks and fire as soon as they entered, but the only fire was a small campfire near the entrance. There were no pitchforks in sight. It was irrational to think, but his mind was going 100 and creating the worst scenarios.   
There wasn't a person in sight thankfully, most were out somewhere else or enjoying time at home. The deathly quiet of the small town was a welcomed gift.

Still, Astor had his hood closed as tight as possible, keeping his eyes to Link’s toned back as he followed the short man. In his pocket, was some sort of metallic object Astor kept messing around with. His fingers desperately holding on to it for dear life, as if he let go, all hell would break loose.  
If this is what a panic attack in public felt like, the mage never wished to experience it again.

Link took no notice, being too preoccupied in looking for the correct building. It wasn't hard. The building was in front of this gorgeous waterfall, the water at the bottom was crystal clear as it encircled the modest home. Two older gentlemen, whose names Link didn't care much to remember, stood guard of the old home. Both were hardened sheikah warriors, years of experience written on their faces. It only served to make Astor more uneasy..

When they got close enough, The two men greeted Link like an old friend.  
"Hello Link! It's great to see you again my friend." They both waved to Link, who cheerfully waved back. 

"If you're looking for Lady Impa, she's currently upstairs getting ready for her afternoon tea. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again!" The other man said. Link nodded his head in understanding. Looking back at Astor, Link could see he wasn't having such a pleasant time. But he was sure once they met Impa, Astor would calm down and stop being such an ass.

The other was mentally cursing himself. How foolish he was to think that everyone   
from 100 years ago had died. If he was lucky, this Lady Impa was just a young girl that happens to have the same name as that one woman. Though, fate hadn’t really been on his side as of late…..  
Before Astor even realized it, Link was dragging him up the stairs, pushing the doors wide open like the maniac he was.

Inside were two women, one old and one young. They both looked to them with great big smiles plastered to their faces. It was sickeningly sweet to Astor. The young lady held a worn down teapot, in the middle of pouring it into a small cup. The old lady was the first one to acknowledge Astor, her crooked smile dropping faster than a boulder going down a steep hill.

"Ah Link, it's great to see you again. May I ask who your friend here is?" Her raspy voice held a sweet demeanor, but her eyes told a different story to Astor. Hatred filled her chocolate brown eyes. If he didn't know better, Astor would assume the old coot worked for Ganon.

She recognized him. She recognized him, and he knew exactly why. 

"Ahhh shit" was the only thing running through the mage's head. He was quietly hyperventilating, trying his best to hide the fear and anxiety running in his veins. It took everything in him not to start poking at the dry malice on his face. It was futile though, as the malice laced skin started to horribly itch.

Link, in a brilliant moment of pure stupidity, answered, "Ah, this is my friend Astor! I saved him from a group of hunters and now he's travelling with me to find a better home."  
Link had to be the most dense person in the world. He clearly didn't see the atmosphere between the two, if he had, this was a cruel joke to be playing at that moment. Maybe this is what Astor gets for trying to send the poor fool into a Lynal's den.

The old woman just sat there for a moment. Letting what Link just said sink in. the room, deathly quiet except for Astor's own heavy breathing.

Then she laughed, laughed as if Link just said the funniest thing in the bloody world. The young woman just stood by clutching a teapot, unsure of what was going on.

"Oh Link!" The old woman slapped her knee, trying to calm down,   
“How about you and your friend sit down for a cup of tea, I have a story I wish to retale."

If there was ever a time Astor almost fainted from an anxiety attack, now was a good time to do so. Link giddily sat down in front of the old woman.  
"So what's the story about Impa?" Yep, Astor's worst fear just got confirmed. Now was definitely the time to faint, just to somehow get out of this situation. His eyes darted around, looking for an escape, possible hidden guards, anything!  
The younger lady had brought out two extra cups, pouring the steamy liquid until it was modestly full.   
"Purah, could you be a dear and leave us alone for a bit, I would like to speak in private."

"Of course grandmother." The young lady, Paya, finished setting the tea and walked out of the room. Leaving Idiot of the Century, mage, and hag alone to have tea. Astor was having a bad case tunnel vision, deciding to pay attention to the tapestry sitting behind Impa. It depicted a large dark beast in the middle, surrounded by two humans and guardians. On the far ends of the corners, were giant machines based on different animals. Without realizing it, Astor had started to scratch the malice near his good eye.

"Now Link, this is a very important tale, so please don't go nodding off. Once the old hag knew Link wasn't about to ignore her, she started her story.   
"Long ago during the age of calamity there was a prophet. This prophet had helped the royal family by warning them of their downfall." Astor was having a hard time paying attention, more focused on how Impa seemed to spit venom out of her mouth when saying "prophet".

"The royal family listened to this seer, and with his help found the divine beasts. Now armed with the greatest weapons of all hyrule. The royal family prepared for an easy victory." The scratching only got worse, flakes of malice fell from Astor's mutilated cheek. Most of it ended up in the long forgotten tea. 

"But what the royal family didn't realize is that their Seer had other plans. When the calamity struck, Ganon was able to take the divine beasts and champions lives for himself." Impa's face grew dark with grief. Link intently listened, curious or where this story was going. Astor could see black spots on the edge of his vision.

" What the royal family didn't know was that their Seer was devoted to the Calamity, helping to organize and destroy anything in their path. I know this, because I once encountered the crazed man, 100 years ago." Impa was starting to tear up, the painful memories being too much for her weary body.

It was too much. Toomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoomuch…. 

Astor had enough, seeing this old woman recounting his past mistakes. He shouldn't have ever followed Link, he should have just stayed in that hellhole of a shack and prayed those hunters never came back. Astor quickly got up, knocking over the cold tea, and ran out the front door. If he could just get away, maybe all his mistakes would stay away this time.

Link was shocked by the development, not expecting Astor to just run out like that. Maybe Astor just really hated the story or he just needed some fresh air. It was rather suffocating in the room. Either way, Link needed to find the mage before he found himself in trouble.

"I’m sorry to cut things short Impa, but I need to find Astor before he scares some poor kid to death. Thank you for the tea." Link got up himself, his gear rattling at the sudden movement.

" That's quite alright Link, I'll let you go now but just remember." Link looked back at Impa before heading out the open door.

" Sometimes a friend is just a foe trying to get on your good side. Be careful of who you befriend child." The adventurer nodded in understanding, uneasy building in his stomach at what Impa could have meant.  
***************

Link ended up finding Astor not too far away from Impa's house. Sitting next to a little campfire near the goddess statue. He easily caught up to his friend, worry stricken all over his face.  
Astor's ragged cape blew in the wind, his head down and shoulders shaking. Muffled hiccups could be heard.  
"You ok man?" That was the wrong thing to say. Astor immediately looked up at Link, his good eye puffy from crying.

" No I'm not (hic) ok man. I'm just tired..." he lied " I hate it here, I (hic) I hate you!" Astor accusingly pointed at Link. Then he put his head back down. " I-I never wanted to come here, I just want to find a new hideout and live the rest of my despicable life alone." The prophet stammered and sputtered miserably. 

Link didn't really know what to do. The other man was upset and he was the source of it. Come on, think Link! What do you do if you saw a friend so upset? Link pondered for a moment, if he were upset, usually a good meal did wonders in helping his terrible mood.   
That's it! Astor was just hungry! Neither had eaten since leaving that shack, and who knows if Astor even ate beforehand. Link had to pat himself on that back for that one. 

There was even a cooking pot right behind them…. But Astor did say he didn't like it here, so moving to a more remote location outside of the village was top priority.

With a plan set in motion, Link tried to pick Astor up. Or easily picked up was the correct term, as Astor was so light, Link had to make sure he didn't break the man in half when getting him to stand. The adventure grabbed his friend’s hand, holding it tight, as they walked to the village exit. 

When they got out, it was nothing but plains overlooking a swamp area. Anywhere was a nice place to sit and cook some food honestly. So Link did just that, he sat Astor down on the soft ground, then ran back into the Village, content with using the cooking pot in there. Once inside and at the already heated up pot, He reached into his bag, pulling out an apple. It was still fresh and unblemished. He rummaged through his bag, searching for the perfect compliment to his little meal. 

The young hero pulled out some honeycombs wrapped in wax paper and a bit of processed cane sugar. Such a sweet treat would be more than enough to cure the mage’s sour spirits. Link excitedly ran up to the cooking pot. A warm flame had already been lit, steam rising from within. The boiling pot was but a simple canvas for Link to explore his love of cooking. 

Smiling, he grabbed a nearby cooking board, it’s surface marked by countless blades. Once Link was sure it was clean, he placed the apple on the wooden board and started cutting. With an expert hand trained more for carving bokoblins than it was for fruit, Link sliced the apple into ten perfect pieces. He slid the slices to the side and unwrapped the courser honey. The sweet smell alone was worth the price of a thousand stings.

Link drained the golden dew from the combs, drizzling them over each of the apple slices.   
Checking the fire one last time, Link picked up the honey glazed apple slices and gently placed them in the pot. They hissed and spat for a brief moment. The young hero tapped his feet and hummed softly to himself.

If fate had been kinder, perhaps he would have become a royal chef. To Link, cooking and fighting were both therapeutic in their own ways. Heart-pounding combat and pastry baking were both forms of stress relief. 

He eyed the apple slices carefully as he would his weapons. Spotless and flawless, perfectly ready for use. With an excited hum, Link got some tongs from near-by and plucked the slices out one by one. He dipped the apple into the last of the honey. With a final touch, Link grabbed the sugar he had bought from his last visit to Hateno and dusted the slices with it. Once the meal was cool, Link meticulously started plating. With his little masterpiece complete, Link returned to the brooding mage.

Astor had his legs up to his chest, head still down just how Link found him the first time. Link, careful of the hot plate, tapped the man's shoulder, handing him the fresh meal. Astor only looked up a tad bit, but it was enough to catch sight of the steaming plate in Link's hand. Its aroma begging for someone to consume its sweet delights.

"It's not much, but hopefully after eating some lunch you'll feel much better!" Link gave his signature dorky smile, holding the meal closer. It's seemed the lack of eating all day had taken its toll, as Astor's stomach growled loudly. 

Without much of a fuse, Astor accepted the dish,  
" Fine, but I still despise you and that awful village." He picked up one of the honey glazed apples, examining it, making sure it wasn't poisoned. Satisfied that it wasn't, Astor took his first bite. It was delicious, down right the best thing he's tasted in a century. He wouldn't admit it, but damn did Link know how to cook. The roasted apple and honey collided perfectly together creating a delectable aftertaste.

Link saw the joy cross Astor's gaunt face, happy to see his cooking could lighten his mood just a tad. That's when Link took the chance to lay on the soft grass. Staring up at the afternoon sky, he was glad to have made things better. Astor quickly finished his late lunch. His anxiety from earlier dispersing.

He stole a quick glance over at Link, who now had his eyes closed, Peacefully. The boy didn't seem like a threat at all if Astor didn't know better. Link's baby face made him almost look….. cute in a way. A light breeze tousled the boy's hair, only serving to make him more attractive.

Oh what was he thinking, sitting here and staring at Hyrule's hero like he was a piece of meat. Just because the boy gave him lunch, a damn good lunch, doesn't mean he wouldn’t go backstabbing him later. The quicker they got out of each other's hair the less likely Link would remember him or what he did. Oh who was he to sit there and think that he could use the boy and get away scot free.

As Astor's mind wandered, Link stretched and pulled out his Sheikah slate. With everything that was going on, he had almost forgotten about it. 

"Hey Astor, look at my map for a sec will ya?" Link shoved his sheikah slate in Astor's face, once again not caring for personal boundaries.

"It's….blank" Astor studied. Link's "map" only showed details for Central Hyrule, Faron, and Necluda. Each section was littered with different pins like skulls or little houses. Funny enough, two pins that looked like arrows sat right where the Hinox and Lynal near Astor's shack stood. 

"That's right funny magic man, you see that tower over there?" Link pointed to a large structure. Now when did that get there?

“If I climb up there, I can get a detailed map of this swamp area. Maybe we'll even find some goodies along the way." Link pulled his slate away, stretching some more before getting up.

"I still don't really care what you decide to do, but if you follow me you gotta tolerate me alright?" Link held out his hand, expecting Astor to take up the offer.

"If you don't care that I'm around, why'd you take me to that skank?" With his good hand, Astor grabbed Link's and pulled himself up. Silently appreciating the help.

" Well I assumed you wanted to travel with me, you have put up with me so far and aren't I your bodyguard for the day? It's still not over buddy." Astor grumbled to himself. Of course Link realized he had Astor under his finger. Link just smirked, happy to have some sort of traveling companion. The last few days were getting pretty lonely if he had to be honest, and having the lanky man being his only impulse control must have saved him from a broken bone by now. Having Astor there was better than no one in Link's opinion.

"Well we better be off then, the sooner I can fill up my map, the sooner we can find you a new home." Just like that, Link bolted down the field, waiting for no one.

"Typical brat. Hey wait for me Dumbass!" With that, Astor once again chased after Link, not knowing if he'd ever catch a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frickty fun fact of the day. I had named Kassy and Scout on the spot. Kassy=Sassy and Scout cause when I named him, he was scouting for somthing... I'm not to creative.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Astor make their way to Zora's domain. Astor embarrasses himself and Link is as headstrong as ever as they learn about the Zora's predicament.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's fucking ready for an even Longer chapter. I sure am.

Astor groaned loudly, his knobby knees ached from all the walking. They had travelled for hours with very little in the way of a break. The wetlands beneath their feet had caused more than a few accidental bathes. The mage was frozen to the bone, his ragged leggings soaked and muddied. The dry warmth of his dingy little shack was but a distant memory. One he clung to dearly. Astor gazed up at the dreary grey sky. The earthy scent of rain wafted by his partially damaged nose. He groaned again, cursing the heavens for making things even muddier.  
Link wanted to lighten the mood a bit, seeing Astor falling back into his bullshit.

"Wanna see a party trick?" Astor didn't respond, so he took it as a yes. Link grabbed his thumb and put his hand atop each other, making it look like he was holding the other thumb. Then, Link pretended to pull his thumb off, giving the most shit eating smile Astor has ever seen. He wouldn't admit it, But Link's smile was what made him go into a giggling fit. He couldn't help it, it was stupid but effective. Such innocents in a man who had seen so much 100 years ago. If only Astor could forget his past atrocities...

"Ha HA! So you do smile!" Link's adorable smile only got bigger. Exceptionally happy that he could get another emotion other than asshole out of his companion. He was so happy with himself that he wasn't watching the road. Then the poor boy ran into an unexpected tree. The impact rattling a few acorns out. It only served to make Astor cackle harder, his maniacal laughter rang all around them.

The mage was doubled over by the time he calmed down, Link just sitting on his butt, smiling along. He liked the sound of Astor's laugh, already planning on his next joke.

Beep….. beep…beep beep beep!

Both looked over at the new sound. It was a Guardian stalker staring right back at them. Its giant, spider-like body was having a hard time navigating through the thick trees. Who would of thought there'd be an active Guardian all the way out here? 

It got closer by the second, all of its tentacle legs carrying its large metallic body. The pulsing red eye in the center of its head was directed right at Astor.

"Ah shit! I've never seen one actually move before! Come on Assy, we gotta get moving!" Astor would have complained about the nickname, but he was more occupied in being frozen in fear. Horrible memories plagued his mind. The pain was unbearable, they wouldn't stop chasing him, a laser barely missing its target. Blurred images of fire and malice filled his thoughts and froze his legs. He wanted to be sick.

The guardian was charging up its beam, Astor felt his legs get kicked out from under him, being caught in strong arms and carried away from the foul beast. Link was holding the poor man bridal style. Dashing and weaving through the trees, a loud blast could be heard from right behind them. The guardian easily recovered, realizing its mistake, it's head did a 180 before chasing after its prey with new vigor. 

Link continued to weave around the trees, making it harder for the guardian to follow behind and aim. It tried shooting another beam, its charge up creating a loud beeping sound, getting quicker as the beam got ready. Astor, with his head deep in Link's shoulder not seeing the action, braced for a painful death. 

Just before the beam was fired, Link ducked behind some large rocks, giving them cover. The beam struck the rocks, creating a massive blast that flung loose rock everywhere. Some of it pelting Link right in the back. His small body protected Astor from the same fate.

Link gritted his teeth, rushing to get back up. The Guardian was even closer now, powering up another beam. Destroyed boots splashing in the swampy mud as the duo attempted to make their escape.

Beep.. beep.. beep beeep beepbepebep!

Link ducked behind a large tree this time, the beam landing not too far off from them. Astor was silently praying for this to be over soon.

A large metal claw snagged onto the tree, another appearing right next to their hiding spot. Link clasped his hand to his face, doing everything to stay quiet. The guardian looked around, having lost track of its prey. They were close enough to hear the wering of the machine’s parts. It's head doing another 180 right then left. Satisfied that it could no longer spot its target, The Guardian's light pink eye turned back to blue. The giant machine let go of the tree, heading back to its patrolling area.  
Both men sat there and listened to the machine walk off, relaxing once it could no longer be heard. Astor released a breath he didn't even know he was holding, finally looking up from Link's shoulder.

Link's deep blue eyes locked on with one topaz eye, Link gave a grin,

"So princess, now that I've saved you from certain death. How bout a kiss." It was a complete joke, not one to take seriously. Still, Astor slapped the hero pretty hard for being so nonchalant after almost getting killed and the blatant disrespect.

"Ouwwwwa, you didn't have to hit me that hard….." Link clutched his cheek, for such a skinny man, Astor certainly knew how to throw a slap. 

"Well maybe next time you try acting immature, don't encourage the wrath of a guardian!" Astor was released from Link's hold, falling right into mud.  
"Well maybe next time I won't save your sorry ass from said guardian." Link crossed his arms and acted upright, walking away from the Mage still dusting himself off.

****  
After a long climb and lots of sloshing about, Link and Astor finally made it to the top of the Lanayru tower. They were exhausted and hungry for food. Astor took in the sights and sounds from above. A cool breeze brushed across his damaged cheek, whistling through the ragged holes. He whimpered at the uncomfortable sensation. A guest blew one of his braids into his good eye, irritating the seer even further. Cursing, he brushed the braid aside and scowled, his undamaged ear twitching irritability. Link stood across from the mage, scouting out the area.

“Do you see anything back there? Or are you just taking in the view?” Astor yelled over his shoulder. 

“I’m looking for a large settlement! It’s called Zora’s Domain. I can’t see it from here, but I’m sure the newly upgraded map will show us!” Link pulled his Sheikah Slate back out, showing the newly added section of Lanayru. A large section being labeled Zora's domain, one of the place's he'd been instructed to find when first visiting Impa. If Link remembered correctly, there had been some travellers saying they were having a hard time getting to the domain because of heavy rainfall…

" And why, must I ask, do you need to see where this settlement is? Do you not remember last time we went into one?" Astor was not about to be dragged to Zora's domain, where he knew the Zora there could live way past 100. It was guaranteed that the elders, even young adults, would remember him and his mistakes. He would be speared on sight.

"I will not let you drag me into their domain, I do not wish to smell like fish for a whole week!" Link was paying no real mind to Astor's ranting, his eyes caught a weird figure on a cliff making a waving motion.

"Astor, you already smell worse than fish." Link stated, trying to get a better look at the…. Fish? Person? It was hard to identify them. The person waving looked to have a fish on their head or, as their head?  
Either way, the stranger was trying to get their attention. Link waved back.

"What the bloody hell are you waving at?" Astor walked next to Link to see what the boy was looking at. Catching eye of the Zora motioning them to come over.

"I have no clue, but they look friendly! Let's go say hi!" Link reached into his bag, pulling out a bundled up paraglider. It was a gift from the first person Link ever met waking up, and out of everything, he tried to take really good care of it. As it unfolded, he raised it above his head.

“No we will not be saying hi! And how do you even expect me to follow! You only have one paraglider moron!" Link had to actually think about that one, he couldn’t just go flying down from high places or climbing up steep hills if his partner can't follow. His best idea would be for Astor to cling on or find a different way down….

"Well, you can cling onto my torso or find your own way down, either way I'm going off to meet this new person." He gave Astor a second to think about it.

"No, there's no way I'm going to cling into you for any reason! I'd most likely slip and crack my head open!" Astor waved his good arm around, stomping his foot like a child being told no for the first time.

"Suit yourself Assy!" With that, Link ran and jumped off the tower. A distant,  
"Wait a minute you buffoon!" Was muddied by the wind in Link's ear. He easily glided down to the little cliffside the Zora woman was standing one. This ultimately left Astor stuck on top of a tall ass tower. No real way to get down unless…..

"Goddess dammit Link! Don't you know not to leave your friend behind on a tower." Then Astor paused, "What I'm I saying, of course the little rodent wouldn't know proper etiquette. I wonder how anyone could tolerate him 100 years ago." Astor facepalmed as he looked down the tower. They had used little pedal stools built into the building to get up. Now he's going to have to get down the same way.

"Better hurry before Link decides to run off and marry a wild boar." He chuckled at the mental image of Link running into the sunset with a boar, "Just married" glued to the boy's fine buttock….

Astor rolled up the sleeve covering his bad arm, comfortable enough to unveil it with no one around. The dried malice ran down his arm in a criss-crossed pattern. The foul matter had replaced most of the flesh. His hand was a mangled mess of malice and scar tissue. Only the seer’s thumb, pointer, and middle finger remained. The other two fingers were missing. Their blackened stumps long since cauterized. He couldn't really feel his right arm anymore, but refused to cut it off for the sake of the little use he could use. The last time he had tried to remove part of it, he nearly bled out. 

Astor crouched down and put his foot into the first slot, Tightly holding on the tower as he carefully climbed down.

Link on the other hand, was having a grand old time talking to the new lady. After registering the shrine nearby into his slate, too lazy to actually do the challenge.

She did have a fish for a head. It was really weird, but she was friendly enough, so not an enemy in his book. Her pinkish red scales glittered in the setting sun.

"Your hylian right?" She already knew the answer, carrying the conversation by herself, not really letting Link add to it. Most people seemed to do this, always answering their own questions and not letting Link speak his mind. Someone once said that the hero of old never spoke, so Link assumed everyone thought he was mute. It didn't bother him, not one bit.   
The less talking on his end the more info on theirs. The only exception of course, being Astor.

"Good Good! My prince is in need of your help! You can get more information from him!" The nice Lady pointed to a weird marble gate. A much larger red fish man was standing atop one of the towers. They were adorned with jewelry, much more than what the nice lady wore anyways.

"Also….. I thought I saw another hylian standing with you atop that weird tower. Where are they?" As if on que, Astor lost his footing and fell, screaming bloody murder. As fate would have it, Astor wasn't too far down when he slipped, thus no bones were broken. The only thing to break was Astor's pride when Link came rushing back up to the rescue, seeing the poor mage flat on his back, covered in icky mud. 

Astor heard the hero's muddied boots before seeing bright blue eyes staring back down at him. If the Mage could sink into the mud and never return then be it, better than embarrassing himself in front of the Hero of all people.

Link had to stifle his laughter. It shouldn't have been funny, but the perfect timing was a little much. He should help before the poor man underneath got even more grumpy. No one wants an even grumpier Astor.

"You okay down there bud? Need a hand?" Link bent down with a hand out, Astor ungraciously taking the help, seething in embarrassment. Oh why did he have to lose his footing there, he was doing so well…

"Shut it, I do not wish to speak about this to anyone twerp!" Astor swiped his good hand back, dusting himself off and trying to remove any mud stuck to his clothes. It was no use though, it seemed that wherever Link went, Someone was bound to get soaked in mud. Astor just gave up on trying to stay clean, instead focusing on the little Rodent that left him up on the tower.

"Well, I hope your little trip was fun. Did you even get any information out of that Zora?" Link ignored Astor's blatant sarcasm, choosing instead to point the same direction as the nice lady did.

"She said that they were looking for a Hylian to help them. Said that their prince was looking over at the bridge down there." 

All Astor could think was, "Oh fuck no." Their prince of all people was looking for them? Was it too late to back out now? Tell Link that the Zora were horrible monsters that only seemed friendly? No, the man was too stupid and stubborn for that. Astor would have to physically drag Link away, and seeing how the boy was able to carry him so easily while running from that guardian, Link would without a doubt overpower him.  
"How about no." And here Astor thought Link won the stupid award.

"Well… why not?" Oh no, Link was giving him some weird version of the puppy dog eyes. Did the boy really want to go help some weird fish people that bad? Think Astor, Think!

"Well um, I…. have a fear of water! Large bodies of water! And um….. my social anxiety… you know, like what happened in Kakariko." Link seemed to buy it enough to reconsider. 

"Well if that's true… I suppose this is where we split…" Ah dammit, How could Astor forget Link's willingness to leave him behind! Recon that you idiot! Do it before you dig yourself in a hole.

"Actually no it's fine. It's not even that bad and well er…. I should learn to brave through my fears!.... Right?" Smooth save Astor, but how long would fate be kind to him? He was not about to test it.

Link's face lit up.

"That's great Assy! Well come along now, it's getting late." Link started to head back down the mountain. The squashing of the smaller man's boots rang out. Once again, Link knew he had Astor under his thumb while he was so weak. How did he even realise this? Was it really that easy to spot?

Astor just had to take it and follow at this point. The moment he found a way to restore his lost power, was the moment Astor was going to run and never see the hero's stupid adorable smile again. Luckily, it didn't sound like anything in his bag got destroyed in the impact. Astor huffed in annoyance. For now, he had to take his punches and continue following Link.  
The poor man just grumbled to himself as they both walked back down the mountain. 

******  
Meeting Sidon was, to say the least, interesting. When the giant shark man came down from the tower to greet them, he scared Astor half to death. Sidon's physique was intimidating and had the mage wheezing in the ground. But it was all smiles from the Zora, as he informed them of the Domain's peculiar issue.

Divine Beast Vah Ruta has been going on a rampage for years. If it wasn't stopped soon then all of Hyrule might be flooded. Sidon had been looking for someone to help, as no sane Zora could get close without Shock Arrows, their one weakness. 

Link, with determination in his eyes, agreed to meet the prince at the Domain and help as soon as he could. Enthralled by Link's courage to help, Sidon enthusiastically waved both men goodbye before diving into the water. 

It was no easy task getting there. As the downpour made it impossible to climb any walls of rock. So, both men trudged through the wetland, dodging Lizalfos with shock arrows, Octorocks pelting them with rocks, and small Bokoloblin camps. Link particularly liked raiding any camps they passed by, much to Astor's dispar.. They were at least able to eat something as some of the camps had already prepared skewed Fish.   
More than one occasion did the mage slip, twisting his ankle quite badly. It took a lot of fighting on both sides but for the rest of the trip, Link had to give him a piggyback ride and stop raiding monster camps. Much to the dismay of both men.

It was only once they got to the footsteps of the domain did Astor feel like trying to walk again.  
"Lazy bastard." Is what Link thought, knowing it was way too late to start shit with the mage, he kept quiet. Astor on the other hand, had a slight limp, but otherwise felt fine. It was way past dark, the moon right above the duo's heads. For a brief moment, Astor took the time to examine the stars that dotted the sky. It had been way too long since he examined the beautiful night sky. 

But now wasn't the time to get reacquainted with the moon and her stars. They were both extremely exhausted. The days worth of events and walking took a toll on both of them and they knew it. The quicker they found a place to sleep, the quicker they could rest.  
As Link walked and Astor limped into the domain, Astor made sure to tighten his mallet. The marble stone squeaked beneath their feet. Unlike Kakariko, Zora's domain stayed lively at night. The children had long since gone to bed, leaving their parents to run their shops in peace. The Large prince from before could be seen running up to the duo.

"Ah my friends! I'm so glad both of you could make it in one piece!" The overly enthusiastic shark gave his signature grin once he caught up to them.

"I hope the rain didn't give you guys too much trouble." Sidon noticed the tired look in Link's eyes, unable to see Astor's, but he assumed the same.

"Ah, forgive me. You two must be very tired. Worry not! As I shall show you two to your sleeping quarters for the night!" Sidon grabbed both men by their hand, not realizing he grabbed Astor's bad side. Astor sucked in through his teeth, pain shooting up his arm into his shoulder, but was too tired to complain for once. "Just deal with it, don't make a scene." He thought.

Sidon, due to his massive size, dragged both men through the domain until they arrived at an Inn. A much smaller blue Zora running the night shift waved at the Prince and his friends. A big smile showing off their sharp teeth.

"Do not worry my friends, I shall pay for you. Now get as much sleep as you can." Sidon let go of them to pull out his large wallet, paying enough rupees for two water beds. It's the least the prince could do.

"Tomorrow we shall group up and I'll explain in better detail what's going on." Link just sleepily grumbled, "Thank you." Losing consciousness by the second.   
Astor was wide awake, used to staying up late, just not this exhausted.

With a quick farewell, Sidon retired deeper into the domain. Link plopped down on one of the empty waterbeds. The bed wriggled at the impact. Astor took the one right next to him. Link was out like a light, not even having the chance to remove his equipment. Soft snoring emanated from the tiny man as he snuggled deeper into the bed.

Astor took his time to unpack himself, carefully placing his bag and any jewelry that would be uncomfortable under the bed, when he was sure no one was looking of course. Then he looked over at Link. Poor guy had to carry the mage most of the way there. Least he could do his help unpack the boy. It was common courtesy to repay when in debt, and Astor rather it be this than some stupid request.

So Astor, as careful as he could with his good arm, unbuckled Link's weapons and bag, placing them next to the bed frame instead. Once done, He took the chance to look Link over a bit. The boy's soft babyface portrayed innocents, but the old scars poking out of his clothes made him seem older, wiser. Experienced in combat, something Astor was all too familiar with.  
Without another moment, Astor went back to his own bed, content with trying to fight his demons again. Even if it meant a little bit more sleep.

***********  
Link was awoken by loud thrashing. As if on instinct, he reached for his blade. His hand only grabbed emptiness, increasing his panic. Link sat up right and frantically scanned the area for any enemies. His mind started to wind back down once he realized they were in Zora’s Domain, not in the wild. Link sighed in relief and was about to return to dreamland, only to have his peace interrupted again by the thrashing. Link shot back up, this time he knew what to look for. He got up from his cozy water bed and looked over at Astor’s bed. He finally knew the source of the thrashing. 

The poor mage was soaked in sweat and shaking like a leaf in autumn. Link’s first instinct was that he had fallen ill some how. He cautiously inched closer to Astor, close enough that he could hear him muttering. Perhaps sobbing was a better word, for the mage had tears in his good eye, which was scrunched shut. He would occasionally grimace and shudder, his good hand reaching up to claw at his mutilated face. Link leaned closer to try to listen in on Astor’s nightmare, but could only hear him frantically muttering “no” and “stop”. The young hero could only wonder what horrors his friend was seeing in that dark mind of his. Link reached out to stroke his friend’s greasy hair, whispering soothing words.

“Easy there man, it’s just a bad dream. Shhhhh, try to wake up.” Link reached out and pinched Astor in hopes of awakening him, that was a terrible mistake. 

Astor slapped Link's hand away, flailing in the boy's direction. His nightmare seemed to worsen at every attempt to wake him up. With what few fingernails the Mage had left, he clawed into Link's cheek, leaving a small but brutal cut. A sharp, burning pain shot through the young man’s cheek. The scratch left Link stunned and in a bad mood. He had been nothing but nice to the man, but here he was being a bitch in his sleep as well. There was no point carrying on with the mage. He had been nothing but an ass and a useless prick. Useless in every fight, useless in socializing, and just dead weight. It was better to leave the man there anyways. Even if Link once thought any company was good company.

Set in his bad mood, Link quickly spotted and picked up his gear. Heading out of the inn and into the fresh morning sunlight. Even though it seemed a tad darker because of the pouring rain. It must have been very early as the sun barely peeked beyond the horizon. It was unlikely that Sidon was even up himself, so Link decided to explore the plaza. Maybe there was a good seafood shop he could hit for breakfast, seafood was always his favorite. Then again, he also loved a good rock or two so who was he to say what fine dining was.  
Stomping through the wet plaza, he wondered if Astor would appreciate seafood just as much. 

Doubt about leaving Astor behind filled Link's stomach more than the idea of eating. But just as it came, Link dashed it away without a thought. He was a stubborn man after all. And he was still a tad angry, even if the rain slowly drained it away.

At that moment, something caught the adventure’s eye. In one of the store's shelves was a plush toy. It resembled a tiny angry boar. Link unconsciously walked up to the storefront to get a better look. He stared down at its beady eyes and it stared right back. After a minute of staring, Link chuckled. The plush boar reminded him a lot like Astor, always angry and ready to fight. 

Then Link thought about it, maybe he shouldn't give up on the poor man yet. Flashes of his scarred face rang in Link's mind, remembering just how weak Astor was without him. Now Link felt bad about trying to run off. It was clear Astor needed to be protected, and out of everyone in Hyrule, he chose Link to do it. Some weird stranger that barged into his house demanding treasure, and he still put enough trust into Link to protect him.

Link looked back at the boar, breakfast completely forgotten at the moment. 

If he left Astor now, then the Broken man would be even more broken. Link was willing to admit it, Astor had grown on him just a tad even though he barely knew the Asshole.

He impulsively bought it. Deciding to give it to Astor. Kinda like an apology, in hopes the Astor would forgive Link for trying to walk out. Even if the man didn't realize it.

When Link got back, Astor was still asleep, his thrashing seemed to have stopped but the nightmares still showed through his disfigured face. His hood had long since fallen off his head, the blanket thrown off the bed as well.His greasy coal black locks framed his marred visage. Link gently placed the plush close to Astor, close enough not to startle him into another fit. Surprisingly, Astor unconsciously found the doll and held it close. His face slowly relaxed as if the plush boar was chasing the bad dreams away. It was too adorable, Link couldn't help but try and put Astor's hood back on his face. That way when the mage woke up, he wouldn't be upset at his face being shown to the world. Link had noticed how much Astor tried hiding his face when walking through Kakariko and the domain. Luckily, he was successful in not waking the man while doing so.

Now all Link had to do was wait for Sidon to come get them, or Astor to wake up so they could find the prince. Link sat back on his bed, soaking in the warmth of the new day. The rain gave off the smoky smell of the earth, it was pleasent…

People were slowly waking up and going about their business. It wouldn't be long before the prince came by to explain the issues the Zora were having. It clearly had something to do with the non stop rain. They needed to figure out how to stop it. It may even lead to one of those Divine Beasts he's heard so much about.  
But for now, Link just sat in his own silence. Waiting for his friend to wake up as the rain continued its onslaught. Today was going to be a good day, Link could feel it.

*********  
When Sidon finally found them, it was around 9am. Astor had begrudgingly woken up to find the stuffed animal in his arms.

He didn't know how he obtained the stuffed object, but he wasn't about to complain. He shoved it into his bag with all his other belongings. 

Sidon treated them to breakfast, a delicious skewed salmon fresh from the river. Link, grateful for the meal, said his thanks as he munched away. Astor took his time, but was equally satisfied with the dish. Anything other than his own horrible cooking was delicious.   
During it, Sidon explained in much better detail; that Divine Beast Vah Ruta has been on a rampage for almost over a century. The only way to temporarily calm it down would be to climb up its self made waterfalls and shoot these giant switches on it's back with shock arrows. The only issue is, while Zora's could easily climb the waterfalls, they could not wield shock arrows. So Sidon had been looking for a hylian that could help them calm the beast once and for all.

Link pulled out his sheikah slate and explained that he was recently tasked with calming these beasts down, and he'd be happy to. Both men conversed like old pals, while Astor silently sat and over chewed his last few bites of fish. He wanted to look busy, as to not draw attention. Fortune failed him again, as Sidon took notice and tried getting Astor into the conversation. It was only slightly appreciated.

As they left the dining table, an old Zora with a stingray for a head passed by only to catch sight of Link and Astor.

"Ah! So these are the hylians you spoke so much of prince! I thought I told you that we do not need the assistance of such lowly Hylains!" Sidon and the new Zora, Muzu, bickered at one another's throats. Muzu being angry that Sidon actually brought hylians to the domain, And Sidon defending them. They kept at it until Link got sick of it, Grabbing Astor by his good hand and dragging the poor hyperventilating man away. 

They ended up coming across a beautiful statue of a Zora. She wielded an equally beautiful trident as the Statue lovingly looked at them. Link looked up in wonder and Astor looked up in fear. Unlike Link, Astor remembered this Zora. A great warrior, even for her small size. He had seen her fight off his men 100 years ago, swift like a harsh river and graceful like the princess she once was…

"Ah friends! It seems you have found the statue of my dear late sister!" Sidon went off to explain that her name was Mipha, and she was the champion who once piloted the divine beast. During this explanation, Link seemed to remember something, and when he snapped back to the conversation, he explained that he just recalled a memory of her. Of course, this made Astor's stomach drop. Last thing he needed was for Link to start remembering things. Astor realized early in their adventure that Link had no clue who he truly was, and he planned to keep it that way.

But when the boy looked back at him, no malice or hate filled his eyes. Only trust and determination. 

Muzu and Sidon ended up fighting again over whether Link should receive the Zora armor, which was made for the champion out of love for him. After some more bickering, Link received the gift and they were directed to head to Ploymus Mountain if they needed to find shock arrows. Link had luckily found a bunch while raiding monster dens on the way to the domain, but still wanted to head up there for a few more. Especially after hearing there was a Lynal den up there. And that the Lynal had been terrorizing them for years with its Shock arrows.

When questioned about why he wanted to go to such a dangerous place for no real reason, Link's face only grew dark as he responded with a cold,  
" Its personal." 

*******

It took a lot of struggling, but in the end, both men made it atop the waterfalls and on the mountain. Shock arrows littered the trees that lead up to a plain. Most likely what the Lynal called home. Link just stormed by the arrows, not his target at the moment. Astor frantically picked up any arrows he could reach without climbing. It was hard to keep up with the angry man.

" When I see it's ugly mug….. When I finally get my…." Link was angrily grumbling to himself. He was upset about how his last fight with a Lynal went as well as what this one was doing. In all honesty, Link would have most likely died in that fight if he hadn't fallen off that cliff. He wanted to settle the score, not letting any monster best him. He knew it wasn't the same Lynal, but that hardly mattered to the pissed off hero. What did matter was that this one had been terrorizing the poor Zora below. The last thing Link would tolerate was a monster harming people for years and never caring.

Astor easily took the hint to stay away from this, more focused on making sure they had enough supplies for any trial ahead. It helped keep the mage's mind off the fact that Link was ready to murder anything, including him. It was kinda scary, knowing his bodyguard could get so angry at a simple monster. Err, or as simple as a Lynal could get from the description they got earlier.

The only time he got near Link was to hand him the extra shock arrows so the boy could use it in the fight.  
Link only declined the offer, saying,  
" You need some way to protect yourself in case it targets you." 

"There's no reason for it to target me"

"There's no reason for you to be near its den." Link knew monsters enough to know they attacked anything near their den on sight. No matter if it was a Bokoloblin or chuchu. Why would a Lynal be different?

"Far point." Astor retracted the offer, already planning on using the arrows as daggers if things went south. Link was dead set on this fight, Astor only followed along as to get away from the prying eyes of the Domain. He also wanted to make sure Link didn't get himself killed because he wasn't there to save his sorry ass. Now he was second guessing that. It seemed he may be there to make sure Link didn't over do it instead.

They continued up the hill. A large plain full of rocks and mud greeted the men. Even all the way up here,Vah Ruta's rainfall poured strong. On the other side of the field, a large brown and red Lynal was looming, having not noticed their presence. Astor took this chance to hide behind one of the large rocks, getting a front row seat to the action. Link pulled out his golden sword, having not used it much in their adventure so far. He really didn't have a lot of weapons, and he still needed a shield. So they would have to make this battle quick with little error.

The shine of Link's sword is what caught the Lynal's attention unable to see Astor peeking from behind a rock.

It gave a mighty roar before pulling out it's own weapons. Unlike the last Lynal, this one pulled out its bow. It aimed at Link, dead set on ending this early as well, and fired. Link, being careful and swift, easily dodged the first few rallies of Shock arrows. Getting closer with each miss.

Once close enough, the Lynal switched tactics to pull out it's own sword. It was at least the same length as Link himself, as the beast swung down. Link easily dodged this as well. It seemed this Lynal was also much slower than the one near Astor's old home. 

Link easily got a few slashes into the side of it's horse like body. The deeper gashes oozing dark red blood.   
The Lynal jumped back trying to gain some distance from the Hero. Link was about to run up again and continue his assault, But the Centaur started charging up some sort of fire blast. Link was stunned. Not knowing what the beast was doing or how to react. 

Astor continued to watch in horror as the Lynal spat out a fireball, scorching Link pretty badly. The boy landed right on his back.

His ears were ringing from the impact. The mighty sound of hooves drawing closer, as the centaur intended to finish Link right there. If Link didn't hurry, he was going to be trampled and Astor was going to be left defenseless. Sure he had those arrows, but Link was certain that the beast would easily take him down. And it was all because Link froze up for a second too long. This shouldn't have easily happend.

Link tried getting up, the Lynal quickly approaching. It was useless, he wouldn't be quick enough. Right before Link thought he would be trampled to death, the Lynal stopped and howled in pain. Link looked up to see that Astor had stabbed the beast with three shock arrows at once. It writhed in pain as its muscles contracted from the shock. The seer’s face was contorted with rage, his single topaz eye burning with wrath.

Astor looked over at Link, panicked that he had almost lost the one person he could consider a friend. Even if Link was the hero, someone he had once despised even though never meeting until two days ago. Astor had somehow found a weird companionship with the boy. And he'd be damned if he let a Lynal take it away.   
Astor let go of the now useless arrows, instead running up to the hero and helping him up. 

"Next time, when you encourage the wrath of a Lynal, don't go expecting me to save your ass again!" The mage could have sworn he saw Link blush a little. The boy must be hot from battle or embarrassed about the help. 

The Lynal finally stopped spasming enough to shake off the lodged arrows. Now with Astor exposed, it had two different targets. It roared, getting low to the ground and charging at the duo.

Astor was just about ready to push Link out of the way and dodge. But before he could, Link pushed him out of the way. Astor falling face first into the ground, mud splashing his face.

Link let the beast get close enough before impaling its head with his sword. Due to the force, Link was pushed back, dragging his heels in the mud. Astor ended up getting a good view of Link's face. His golden locks stuck to his wet face. Blue eyes burning with the same courage as the night they met. Yes, Astor could clearly see it. The Link that he'd been traveling with for the past two days is not the same one now. Something has changed in Link. 

Surprisingly, the Lynal did not die from the head trauma. The Golden sword had snapped in half, leaving one half logged deep in the monster's skull. The beast flailed around, hooves kicking up mud and tiny rocks. In it's blind panic, It almost trampled Astor, who was still on the ground. Right before it could, Link mounted the centaur's back and slashed at it's more human backside with his Golden spear. It tried to get Link off, even slamming into one of the large boulders nearby. But Link was stronger, and continued his onslaught until finally, He speared through the beast's chest.   
The Lynal let out a choked gurgle before disintegrating right in front of Astor, falling onto its knees before disappearing. Leaving behind its Lynal sword, bow, and hey look at that, a fucking shield. Maybe Link could finally learn that defense was the best offense. But now wasn't the time to think about that.

The hero had crumbled to the ground, having been on the back of the Lynal. 

“Link? Link! Get up it’s over!” Astor scrambled up to the prone hero and slapped at his muddy face.

“Wake up you mud rat! I can tell that you're awake.” He threw another more firm smack, causing Link to groan and push the seer’s hand away.

“Alight alight I’m up. Just let me rest for a bit.” He groaned again and rolled over. Astor let out an exasperated sigh and lifted the brawny knight up.

“Goddess damnit Link! The flooding won’t stop itself.” With a lot of huffing and cursing, Astor was able to get Link back on his feet. They looked at each other with both gratitude and exhaustion. Blue eyes met topaz as they realized what had happened.

“You saved my ass back there Astor. T-thank you.” Link stuttered out. Was this the seer he had been traveling with all this time, or had someone replaced and impersonated the grouchy bastard. Astor was equally in shock about his own actions but tried to brush it off as best he could.

“Don’t make more of this than there actually is brat. I need my bodyguard alive!” Astor growled, though a slight upturn in his thin lips gave away his true feelings. They both stopped to catch their breath before trying to move. The seer looked up at the blue-grey outcrop ahead of them. It was the top of the mountain. Only a few desperate rays of sunlight struck the crag of rock. Link noticed and suddenly took off. Astor was surprised by the boy’s sudden burst of speed. He struggled to run after him, cursing the aches and pains of the battle.

“Link get back here! It might be slick up there you idiot! Come ba- oh my goddess…” Astor was cut off by the incredible sight before them.

The sun set on Zora’s Domain, basking the lakes and mountains in a golden hue. The mighty divine beast Vah Ruta stood in the great reservoir, it’s gargantuan size was soaked by the rain it was spewing. The massive pachyderm held its trunk high and was filling the sky water. Link giggled and stuck his tongue out to catch some drops.

“How often can you say you got a drink from a divine beast?” 

“Do you know where that divine beast got that water Link? What if it’s from the Zora sewers?” Astor chastised, though he was far more concentrated on the amazing scenery. Such a tapestry of wonder was something only possible in the farthest wild.

The beast suddenly roared, shaking the earth underneath, warning the two men of the fierce battle that awaited them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link finally fights Vah Ruta and the monsters hidden inside. Astor and him both worry for eachother while apart.

Link and Astor gazed upon the massive machine. 

“You have a plan on how to defeat that thing once you are in?” Astor asked as he fidgeted at his mantle. He was starting to feel anxious as he looked at their target. He could feel his mangled side start to burn and itch, almost as if it was reacting to something. Whatever was in the divine beast, it was clearly a servant of Ganon. Astor itched at a black scar on his neck. Could he really risk going in there? If those horrid Blights were still in those machines… 

“Link… um, I don’t know if we are ready for what’s in there.” He placed his lieth hand on Link’s shoulder.

“I can sense something evil in there, far eviler than anything we have faced before.” 

“Well of course there’s something evil in there, it’s glowing purple and it’s spraying rain everywhere. Fuck rain I’d say!” 

“Take this seriously Link! What every foul blight is in there, it will be hell-bent on killing you! I should know…” Astor’s mind continued to wander. Memories of malice and flames burrowed into his mind. Link looked at him nervously. 

“Look, I won’t make you come in with me. The last thing I want is to save your ass again while in there.  
Astor nervously scratched at his malice ridden face. The itching only got worse the longer they looked at the divine beast. Link caught sight of this, pulling the man's hand away. 

"I can see you're really nervous about this. And who wouldn't?!" Link raised his arms up in exaggeration. "That thing is huge! And any normal person wouldn't dare get close." 

Astor smirked, Link was taking this too light hearted. Which was good because it helped ease Astor's worry a tad.

"But you're no normal person, I suppose?" 

Link gave him finger guns,  
"Exactly. Now let's get down this mountain and meet up with Sidon." The hero turned and headed the same way they came up from, with any luck they'll be able to find a shortcut down. Link had a knack for finding the easiest path, even if he didn't always choose it.

"The quicker we can get this over with, the quicker we can find you a new home and get out of each other's hair." Astor froze at that. While it was true he only joined Link to find a new hiding spot, it certainly didn't feel like that was the reason anymore. He couldn't help but feel a slight blush cross his scared face. 

Embarrassed that in such a short time, the young hero has latched onto him. Sure Link was a pain in the ass to deal with, and he was by extent the same, but it felt good to have someone to talk to. Perhaps it was just the decades of isolation making him hungry for any sort of human contact. 

"Hey Assy, are you really that scared or what? Hurry up!" Link was already down almost half of the cliff. He would really need to berate Link later for that nickname. But for now, Astor was more focused on not slipping and hurting his ankle again as he rushed to catch up to his friend. 

Yes the quicker they saved the Divine Beast, the quicker Astor can get away from all this rain and whatever was inside it.

*****************

"My friends! I'm so happy to see both of you in one piece." Sidon ran up to the two men as they finished climbing the large staircase. Astor was out of breath and damn near about to pass out. Link was the same but only slightly better off. At some point on their way up, Link decided to adorn the Zora Armor. Since they expected to have to do a lot of swimming, the Zora armor was perfect for the job as it made swimming a bit easier.

They had finally made it up the giant dame that overlooked the domain. It also housed Vah Ruta, who seemed to get a little more agitated the closer the duo had gotten. It gave a mighty roar before spewing out more rain, soaking everyone.

"Now that you're here, we should make a solid battle plan so we're all on the same page." Sidon gave his signature smile. Trying to use his charm to boost morale. Both men were still huffing a little, Link was the first one to speak up.

"So enthusiastic eh?... So my plan is to climb up the waterfall and shoot the arrows at the button. That's it." Link pulled out his newly acquired shock arrows and Lynal bow.

“Ready to go. As far as I'm concerned, I'm going alone."

"Alone? Dear friend I don't mind helping one bit! I could carry both of you to get closer." Sidon was a bit worried about Link doing it alone. The task at hand would be a lot to chew for two small hylians would it not?  
Astor took a deep breath and sat on the cold floor.

"Actually I'm not going anywhere, that thing unnerves me and I have no way to really attack it." It was a partial lie, but some strange Zora prince didn't need to know the whole truth. Staring at the beast as it glowed an eerie pinkish red made Astor's skin flare up enough. Just imagining what it was like being even closer or worse, inside the thing. The thought made the Seer shudder.

"Oh friend, my apologies, if I had known you didn't want to-" Sidon was cut off by Astor.

"Cut the shit Prince, I'm only here because this idiot," He points to Link,   
" Happens to be the only person who can help you and your people. It was Fate that had brought me here and Fate that binds me." He hadn't used that terminology in forever, the word felt almost nostalgic.   
Sidon didn't really understand what the lanky Hylian ment, but he was right. Now wasn't the time for idle chit chat.

"Of course, My friend, are you ready for this fight? I can understand if you're not." Link gave a curt nod in agreement, determination and something primal in his sky blue eyes. It was close to what Astor saw in the Lynal fight but not quite. When he gets the time, he should ask Link about it. It may save his own ass some day.

"Great!" Sidon ran and dived into the deep waters, Link not too far behind climbing on the shark man's back. It was weird to be on top of someone like this, but not unpleasant. Link gave one final glance at Astor, who was picking at his skin again in nerves. His hood was up, covering his face, but Link could sense the unease radiating from the other man. He was going to finish this as soon as possible. He didn’t want Astor to worry about his bodyguard for too long. 

"Well Assy, see you later!" Link gave a big smile as Sidon swam away. The Prince's powerful body swiftly moved through the water as if they were flying. Link could have sworn he saw Astor wave him a goodbye. The memory of making the mage laugh at his jokes ran through his head as Sidon sped up. Seeing the man so happy when he was usually a prick, gave the Hero a wide toothy smile as a funny feeling coursed throughout his body.

Yes, Link would do his best to return safely so he could hear Astor's crazy laugh again.  
************

If Vah Ruta wasn't angry before, it was now. The giant machine gave an even louder cry as it stomped in the water. Sidon swam around the beast, keeping a safe distance until an opening presented itself. Link was sure if he didn't hold on tight enough, he would fall off and Vah Ruta would have fun crushing him. Just looking at it from this up close gave even Link the heebie jeebies. Now he knew what Astor must have felt looking at that thing.

"Get ready! I'm about to get closer!" Sidon tilted slightly and started heading for one of Ruta's waterfalls. Just as they got close enough, Ruta gave a roar as something was being formed atop it's back. It was a giant ice block, and multiple of them. One got flung in the duo's direction, they nearly avoided it due to Sidon's quick thinking and quicker reflexes. 

"SHIT!" Link was almost flung off, but managed to stay put. Sidon backed off from the beast, keeping his distance once again. Astor could barely see the action, but enough to know that something went wrong. With no one around, He had his hood down, squinting with his good eye to see everything. What the duo didn't notice that Astor did, was that the giant ice block was actually still chasing them. Honing in ever closer.

"AH SHIT LIIINKK!" Astor wanted to warn them, but knew it was no use. Still, he screamed, trying to get their attention. Link happened to look behind himself, hearing a massive splashing getting louder. "AHGG" Link panicked and tried shooting the massive block of ice with an arrow. He didn't know if it would work, and was pleasantly surprised when it did. 

Vah Ruta gave an angry screech as it shot off a valley of Ice blocks bigger and smaller than the last. Link easily dispatched them one by one with arrows until finally, Ruta had given up, needing to recharge its water supply before trying again. That's when Sidon tried getting closer again. This time he successfully got Link close enough to a waterfall, allowing the boy to climb up to due to the Zora Armor.

Astor was able to watch as Link gracefully jumped into the air, two or three Shock arrows flying straight into the buttons on Ruta's back. Link was skilled, Astor could give him that. Years of sleep may have taken the boy's mental memories away, but it did not take away his muscle memory for sure. Link fell down back into the water, Sidon waiting there to catch him. Already, they only have two more to go. Things were going as smoothly as it could.

By that time, Vah, Ruta had regained enough water to attack again. Link kinda expected a repeat of shooting down giant ice blocks, but Ruta had other plans. It's metallic tusks raised in the air and shot it's own icicle arrows. They rain from the sky as Sidon nearly dodges them. 

"Hold on! Best we can do is wait it out!" Sidon curved and weaved through the water, Link doing his best to warn the prince of any arrows coming up. Astor was starting to wish he could do something. But without any power, he was useless. Oh how fate made him care so much but made him so powerless to do anything about it. If he could have his way, none of this would even need to happen. None of this should have happened. But fate was a cruel mistress he once loved to dance with.

After a long time, it seemed Vah Ruta had once again lost the power to attack. This was their chance to finish the fight, as Sidon got close enough to a different waterfall. Link climbed up, using the Zora armor. Water splashing in his face as he rose to the top.  
Finally, Link jumped Into the air, pulling out his Lynal's bow and releasing two Shock arrows for each button. It felt as if time slowed down for the young hero as the arrows hit their respective button. Unlike the rest of the beast, the buttons went blue as the rainfall from Ruta's trunk slowed down.

The mighty machine gave one last roar as it's entire body slowed to a complete stop, it went slack thereafter.

"We did it! We actually did it! Link gave a little cheer. His face was hot from the exertion of staying on top of Sidon and climbing the waterfall. He was tired, once he got inside he would take a small breather before finishing the job.

Sidon was just as excited. His part was done and if he were to be honest, Sidon was sure he developed a small crush for the tiny hylian. The way he moved and fired those arrows was amazing!  
Astor was just relieved that they had survived so far. The rain had finally stopped and the sky above the domain was a little lighter. It was a breath of much needed fresh air for everyone. 

Sidon easily caught the falling Hero once more. The Vah Ruta had opened up a latch on it's side, revealing a balcony and entrance. 

" Oh my friend! That was amazing. But it's not over yet! We still need to get you on board don't we?" Link gave a nod as Sidon swam closer to the balcony. The Zora was once again reluctant to let the little Hylian jump aboard, but reasoned that he was very capable by making it this far. 

Link stood atop the balcony as the divine beast below him rose up out of the water. Sidon waved at him from the water.

“Good luck friend! Take care in there!” Sidon called out, before swimming back to the Domain. Link waved goodbye to the Zora prince. He squinted at the edge of the dam to see Sidon joining Astor. The seer could barely see his friend from that distance, but he knew he was safe.

***************

"If I may ask, What brought you two to travel together? Earlier you said fate had brought you here." Sidon and Astor were sitting on the pier, waiting for Link's return. Sidon was still in the water, only his head poking out. Astor had his hood up once more, making sure the prince couldn't look under it. He lightly wonders how much he should explain.

On one hand, The prince has no business asking him such questions. Even if it was only a conversation starter as they waited for Link, it still put Astor on edge. On the other hand, Sidon had been nothing but friendly and kind. Going so far as to pay for their food and bed. If Astor didn't answer, Sidon would only get more curious. The mage mulled over it for a bit, deciding he would only tell what was needed, no point in over sharing.

"We simply met one night and I decided to travel with him. My old home was of no use and I plan to find a much more suitable one after this." His back was starting to hurt from leaning out of Sidon's view. He was tempted to lay on his back, but thought against it.

"I see, then I must ask another question. Why do you hide your face from me? What could one need to clearly hide?" Astor tensed up, not knowing how to answer that question. The last thing he needed was for Sidon to recognize the man who had indirectly killed his sister. He would be driven out by the Zora while Link was stuck in the divine beast. He would easily be attacked and-

"Ah, I seem to have made you upset my friend. I'm sorry for that." Sidon swam a bit closer. " You must have your own reasons, but believe me when I say you have nothing to fear." The prince gave his award winning smile. Warmth radiating off of him.  
"It's only me!"

Sidon was trying to get Astor to lower his guard. The mage paused for a moment, trying to control his racing mind. Sidon gently placed a scaly hand on his shoulder. Astor froze up from the sudden physical contact. The Zora prince could clearly tell he was uptight over this.

“Easy there big guy, I promise no one is here to see you.” Sidon chuckled. That remark only made Astor tenser. The Zora could easily kill him with his bare hands if he so pleased. Then again, if he wanted to not raise suspicion, then it would be best to reveal himself. He honestly had little choice, the more he thought about it. Best to rip the bandage off quick. It was nice being alive and not hunted down by all of Hyrule….

“Fine then, I shall relieve you of your curiosity, fish.” He exclaimed as he undid his mantle. Sidon watched on intently as Astor tossed his only shield aside to reveal his hideous visage. The scrawny man waited for the Zora to gasp in horror and even recognition, but neither of those happened. Instead, he felt a surprisingly warm but moist hand stroke his cheek.

“Man, that looks like it hurts. I’m sure we have a salve that can alleviate the pain.” Astor simply looked at him, stunned. Did Sidon sustain brain damage during the fight? The fish just flashed his usual grin, before patting him on the back.

“Heh, I can understand why you would want to cover your face. Getting dust and debris in your eye socket would suck.” Astor nodded in agreement. The amount of times he had to dig his finger into the sensitive skin to get a hair out was rather numerous. Sidon leaned in closer to get a look at the seer’s exposed teeth.

“Holy Hylia! I can see your teeth. They sure aren’t sharp like mine.” He was fascinated by this strange hylian. What was this man’s story, where did those strange scars come from? Sidon was tempted to ask, but reminded himself that it was rude to pry. Besides, what if it was from some terrible incident. The last thing the Zora prince wanted to do was upset his already moody guest. 

“D-do they hurt? The scars I mean.” Sidon backed down a bit.

“Yes, but only when touched. I can’t feel much on that side of my face otherwise.” He blushed at all the attention, expectations thrown out the window.  
Astor levitated his good hand near the destroyed tissue. Now he was just as curious about the prince. Was he too young to remember? Didn't realize who he was speaking with? Whatever the case, Astor needed to tread carefully as to not share any unwanted details or spark suppressed memories. Maybe the topic of Link would get them out of such dangerous territory.

"So um, about Link… do you think he'll be able to, you know." Astor waved his arm around trying to convey Link taming the divine beast. It took Sidon a second, but he understood what the Hylian meant.

"Oh of course! His name is Link eh? Well seeing him in action has wiped away any doubts that he won't succeed!" Sidon raised from the water, pumping his chest out.

"Link was wonderful up there! The way his body moved up the waterfall with grace. How much power he must of put into those shots!" Sidon went into a tangent about how fun it was to take down the beast with Link. By that point, Astor had stopped listening. He was blushing too hard at the mental Image of Link riding up a waterfall. It only got worse with each rerun of the image, getting a bit more lewd than the last. He quickly shook it off though. Blaming the high emotions he's been experiencing of late as to why he would think of Link like that. Link was his bodyguard and sort of friend, nothing more. He still planned on booking it at a moments chance.  
Anything to get away from all the embarrassment as of late.

He tuned back into Sidon's tangent, "So while I do one hundred percent believe Link is capable, I must ask, Do you feel the same, good friend?" Astor pondered over that question. His long black hair being picked up by the wind as he stared at Vah Ruta. A flash of yellow appeared somewhere from within, clearly from Link. Whatever the boy was doing in there, it was working. He was still alive and most likely kicking ass. Astor couldn't help the bubbly feelings inside his chest.

"Well, I'm sure Link is perfectly capable of handling himself. It's just a matter of time before he walks right out with that blight's head on a stick." 

Sidon agreed, but was confused by one aspect. " Wait…. Blight?"

************

The inside of Vah Ruta was intimidating at first. A giant watermill with lots of tiny versions of guardians running around. He dubbed those as "Tinys" cause Small guardian was a mouthful. There also happened to be some weird gunk stuck to the walls. Some of it occasionally had mouths or even eyes! It was all spooky. But what spooked Link the most was when a small, soft voice rang out of nowhere. 

"Link, you've finally made it! I'm so happy to see you again." The small voice, who Link didn’t realize was Mipha's, instructed him to find four terminals and reactivate them. That would activate the final terminal, which would free her and the beast from their long imprisonment.

Link easily understood the task at hand, solving puzzle after puzzle. Everytime he encountered one of the Tinys, Link would shoot them with a shock arrow. It did the trick as they all went down in one hit. Some of them even carried a cool looking spear or dagger. Link picked those up for later, he planned on saving them for Astor when he got out. Giving that man a weapon of any sort would ease his mind. 

Throughout the dungeon, Mipha would praise Link everytime he found another terminal. She really did put a lot of pressure on Link. Even if it was a complete accident. 

At one point, Link raised Vah Ruta's trunk in order to put out some fire. It was so cool, Astor was going to wish he'd been there to see it. Though, the mage most likely saw it outside on the pier, if he was still there. But if he was with Link at the moment, he would have splashed the man as a joke.

Either way, after setting his slate on the last terminal, Mipha once again spoke up.

“Thank you Link. Now all you have to do is activate the last terminal. I know you can do it!" The adventurer looked down from where he was standing, The panel in question was not too far away. Once it was activated he could leave and meet up with Assy again. With a skip in his step, Link used his paraglider to take a quick shortcut.

Mipha was hesitant. Hesitant to tell Link one last detail. She feared that Link would not want to save her if he knew what he was up against. It was selfish, she knew, but 100 years of being trapped has made her a bit disparate.

As Link set activated the control panel, Mipha knew she could not hide it any longer.

It flew out of the terminal, directing Link's attention behind him. There, a grotesque creature was being formed. It's long left arm carried an even longer spear. The sheikah tech that covered its entire body glowed a hideous bright pink and purple. A sharp contrast to the much more dark red goop that made up its entire body. The creature's one eye was covered by more broken sheikah tech and a red manes that went down its thin back. Its head tilted to the left and right, making a horrible cracking sound.

Outside, Astor couldn't help a horrible chill run down his back. The dry malic on his skin becoming horribly itchy. He couldn't hide it from Sidon, who was now worried for the poor man. Astor was scratching every part of exposed skin, dry malice flaking off. The seer started to feel another panic attack starting. Sidon had to carry him back to the domain, where he could be easily treated. "Do not worry my friend! I'll get up to help as soon as I can!" 

Back in Vah Ruta, Link was experiencing a very similar chill.

"I'm sorry I did not tell you beforehand Link, forgive me! That is Waterblight Ganon!" The large creature gave an awful cry, shaking the entire room. " It defeated me 100 years ago and now plans to do the same for you!"

"So this is what took down the great Mipha uh?" For all of Link's courage getting him this far, the boy almost faltered. That thing would be powerful no doubt, and it currently saw Link as a snack. And not in the sexy way. 

Waterblight drew its spear. A horrible clunking sound emitted from the broken sheikah tech as the spear locked itself in place. Link brought out his own weapons, the golden spear and Lynal shield. 

"Please Link be careful! That spear has a long reach!" As Mipha said that, Waterblight swung at Link. 

“Jee ya think?” The hero barely dodged by doing a backflip. He tried getting closer, but that proved unfruitful when Waterblight kept swinging wildly. Time to switch tactics.

Link pulled out his bow, aiming for the small, pulsating eye at the center of its head. He didn't get a chance to fire, as a massive spear hit him from the side. It throws Link into a wall, his breath being knocked out.   
As the boy fell into the floor, Waterblight repositioned its spear, planning on throwing it. Link heard the loud clanking noise, and dodged once more when the spear was thrown. It was a close call, the spear landing in that exact spot seconds later. He took it as his chance to run up on the creature and get a few good hits in. 

Pulling out his golden spear, Link slashed at the beast. It emitted it's horrible cry as each hit landed. A dark sludge oozed out of its wounds. Link backed up and tried hitting it in the eye when he thought Waterblight would try attacking again. The beast was suddenly able to create a new spear, blocking the onslaught of normal arrows. 

"Dammit." the hero dodged another swing of the spear. The thing seemed mindless, so if he could just lock it into some sort of pattern then he could easily dispatch it. He'd done the same with moblins and even a Hinox. Astor had been impressed the first time he saw that, even giving the boy a smart remark.  
Something flared in his gut at the memory. Making Link even more determined to defeat this beast and return safely.

The hero backed away, letting the beast have the first move. As expected, Waterblight repositioned its spear and threw it. Link easily dodged it and attacked once more. Getting a particularly deep cut in its stomach. The beast disintegrated at that, not in the same fashion as most monsters though. Instead disintegrating the same way Link would when fast travelling or those monks at the end of a trail.

Assuming it was over, Link packed his weapons and was about to give Mipha lip.

"So this was the great beast that defeated you? Unless it got weaker over the years it-" Link turned around to see the beast reforming In front of the control panel. Its twisted body now turned upside down.

"What the-" Link was startled. Of course it wouldn't end so easily. The thing had defeated a champion for crying out loud! Why wouldn’t it give up so easily?  
Waterblight raised its smaller arm, the room shaking as water rushed in. When it stopped, only four squares of dryland remained, Link lucky was on top of one. But that wasn't all. Waterblight also created a giant chain and ball made of solid ice. The sharp points being bigger than Link's entire leg.

"Ah shit, this is what you meant …" Link didn't have long, as the beast swung the ball of ice. It missed by a few feet, but shards of ice scattered around. A few lodging deep within Link's flesh. It didn't seem to faze the boy too much though. At least not enough to give a few remarks.

"Oh yea! You think you're so tough with that giant ball of yours?! Well come at me then!" Link opened his arms wide, letting the monster have a good shot. Link had an idea, he had seen a bunch of people do it while fighting monsters. It was risky, but when was Link not about risk?

If Astor could see this, he would be screaming at the top of his lungs at how stupid he was being. Tell him there was no reason to be messing around. But he wasn't, so Link had free range of idoticy for a precious moment. The beast took the bait, swinging once more.   
It connected, but not on Link. At the last second, he pulled out his Lynal shield and parried the ball of ice. The thing must have been heavy as Link threw the weapon back at his enemy. It hit Waterblight right in its ugly head so hard the beast fell into the water unconscious.

Now was the time to finish it off. It was best not to mess around too much and give the creature a chance to get back up. 

So, with the few shock arrows he had left, Link loaded up his bow and aimed. 

"Parry this you fucking casual!" Link mentally paused for a moment. He had no idea where that came from but a hero has to have their witty one-liners right? Shrugging, Link shot into the water near Waterblight, effectively electrocuting it. The beast's body spasmed as electricity ran through its body. Horrible screeching sounds rang out as goop shot out of its body. Link had barely dodged the spear, as its body flailed around, trying to get a good hit in before finally combusting. The explosion would have blinded Link if he didn't look away when he did. A massive blast of purple mist sent goop everywhere as the hero dove out of the way. He landed with a splash, soaking himself even further. That’s when he noticed the bits of ice still lodged in him.

“Of course you got a cheap hit off, asshole.” Link grumbled as he pulled out the worst of the ice shards. It didn't seem to bleed too much, just some bandages needed here and there.

When Waterblight didn't return for a third time, Link relaxed. Getting up and trying to rinse the water out of his ruined pants. 

A soft blue glow emitted out of the corner of his eye.

Looking over was a tiny red Zora, even smaller than Link. She looked just like the statue inside Zora's domain, only more colorful. Her soft yellow eyes were filled with glee at seeing Link succeed. 

"Oh Link! It's so good to see you again!" Seeing Mipha floating there as a spirit. It made Link want to cry. She was real. He didn't know what to expect honestly. Her just saying thanks then leaving? Maybe reminiscing memories he didn't have anymore? Oh goddess, the other Zora had talked about her loving him.

"I know deep down, you would come. But yesterday, I had almost given up hope." Did he even love her back then? He just didn't have the answer. Too many questions were running through his mind. And all just by seeing her here, walking and talking like an old friend. 

"This will have no more use to me, so I shall gift you Mipha's grace. Promise me to always call upon it if need be." He didn't have time to react as an orb flew into his chest, being absorbed like one of those spirit orbs. Then he felt a surge of power. It flowed through his body into his fingertips. Honestly, it was way too much for Link to believe. It was happening too quickly.

"Wait! I need to know! Did I love you back?!" Mipha was about to transport Link back to the domain, but stopped at his question. She looked saddened before answering. "I do not know, you had become more distant over the years. After being chosen you rarely spoke a word, so I do not have the answer." Mipha looked back at Link, her golden eyes showing no resentment.

"But even if you did, I feel like you should not be saddened over my death. I knew what I was getting into when becoming a champion and I took the role with stride." Mipha got closer to Link, who now had tears in his eyes. He was upset that he couldn't remember and was finally taking the time to mull over it all. Mipha took Link's hand into her own much smaller and colder ones.

"And I know, you will do great things Link, do not let the loss of my life deter you from helping those who can still be saved." She wiped the tears from Link's eyes. "Now promise me to live a full and happy life for me and the others alright?" 

Link sniffled, trying to compose himself,"Alright…. I..I promise." Mipha gave a warm smile.  
"Good, now I must be off. Even as a spirit, I still have a role to play." She backed off. Tiny particles lifting Link up before taking him off to the domain. She watched with a tear in her own eye, knowing it would be the last time she would see the love of her life.  
Mipha sat in silence once Link was gone. The room was awfully cold without someone to share it with.

***************

Outside, In Zora's Domain, King Dorphan was getting a suplex of accounts of Vah Ruta moving south. Presumably to an unmarked cliff not too far from where it once was stationed. Sidon was too busy trying to help the poor Astor rest to hear the news. Luckily he was able to catch sight of Vah Ruta perching itself on top of the mountain. It was a sight to see! The majestic beast swimming through the water, climbing up the mountain to station itself.

Link must have succeeded! Vah Ruta glowed a pleasant blue just like it was described 100 years ago. He must tell his Hylian friend at once! But before doing that, he should make sure that Link returned to the domain safely. Right before Sidon left to head back up to the dome, a Zora informed him that Link was instead spotted near the front of the Domain. How he got back so fast, Sidon will never know.

Pleasantly surprised, Sidon rushed over.  
"Oh Link! My friend! You made it out in one piece!" Link was kneeling on the ground, recovering from the sudden transportation and emotional outburst. He couldn't show weakness now. Not when everyone needed him. Right as Sidon walked up to him. Link put on his usual happy self.

"Sup man, sorry for making you wait so long." He looked around, not seeing Astor anywhere. His heart dropped at that.  
"Where's Assy? I thought he would be with you till I got back."

"Ah yes Assy!" Sidon thought that was his real name, getting something of a fondness for the poor hylian. "He's resting at the inn. " He got a really bad case of itchiness and I had to carry him back here. Even restrain him from scratching off his face." The horrible memory of Astor's dead skin flashed in the prince's head. It gave him a nasty chill, never wanting to see that again. Poor fellow must have been in a world of hurt. Link walked right past the prince, being a man on a mission.

"Wow he's already letting you touch him? He still won't let me get to close half the time. What did you two do while I was away? Make out?" Link laughed. It was a joke, but still got Sidon to blush madly in embarrassment.

Arriving at the inn, Link could see Astor was sound asleep. The stuffed boar held tightly around his arms. His face was down and the hood pulled up as so no one could see his marred face.

"Poor Hylian, I told him to rest because it looked like he needed it." Sidon was right behind Link. Worry written all over his face

"I'll give you two some time alone, I'm sure you must be so exhausted as well." And he was, adrenaline could only do so much for a guy. 

"Yea, today was pretty wild and a good night's sleep and food in the morning will do wonders." Link plopped down on the water bed next to Astor, taking the time to unpack his stuff and set it down.

"Good! Well I must go to my father. I'm sure the good news will cause celebration!" Sidon waved goodbye and ran off. The wet slaps of his feet being drowned out by cheering and noise. 

Taking a whiff of fresh air, Link knew he wouldn't be able to sleep too well with all the noise. And it was still pretty bright out. Condemning himself to restless sleep. Link took this chance to examine Astor and think about his meeting with Mipha. All of those strange emotions, all of which were tinged in a deep, aching sadness. The young man also felt crushing guilt. That poor Zora cared so deeply for him once and he didn’t even remember her name. Indeed he wasn’t truly sure if it was love. Was it anything like he was experiencing for Astor?

It was hard to tell what he felt about the mage. Whatever it was, he wondered if it was the same as Mipha in some sense. He wondered if she felt protective or got some weird tingly feelings. Astor had been his only friend this entire time, sticking to him like burnt butter on toast. Link rolled over and tried to calm his thoughts by curling up in a ball. It didn’t work too well unfortunately as he could feel tears welling up. 

“Brilliant” He thought, now he was worked up over a dead person and a narcissistic mage. Link bit his lip both to stop himself from crying and out of frustration. He balled up even tighter and cursed under his breath. That was when an unexpected cold, bony hand landed on his shoulder. The Hero had to restrain himself from flinching away.

“Link? You’re back? You look like you’ve been through hell.” Link instantly recognized Astor’s deep, smooth tone. It had an unnatural twing of concern in it, one that didn’t quite fit with the mage’s usual calousnes. 

“You’ve got some ice lodged into your side, hold still and I’ll get it out." He didn't even realize there was some shards of ice still stuck. Link felt Astor firmly grab at one of the shards and swiftly pull it out. The mage’s face itched just by looking at the foul thing. He could still smell the damp, rotting stench of malice on it. He couldn’t let on to Link that he knew what attacked him, and that he had created it.

“Easy does it Link, just a few more. Quite frankly I don’t know what you would do without me.” Astor hummed as he yanked out the last shard. Link winced as he felt a hand press against the cut.

“H-hey Astor, Sidon said you weren't doing so well.” He mumbled out. The mage didn’t respond for a few beats.

“I was just worried, nothing of note really.” Link tried getting a good look at Astor. Seeing the man's hood slightly more loose than usual. Black messy strands of hair covered his destroyed face. 

“Worried about what?”   
Astor didn’t respond but Link could tell he was getting nervous again. He rolled over gingerly to face his friend. A single topaz eye gazed down at him. Astor fidgitted at his mantle and bit his ragged lip.   
“Nothing, I wasn’t worried about anything.” Astor tried looking away as a small blush planted itself on his face.

“You were worried about me weren't you. To be frank, getting to see you again was a big motivator for getting through that shit show.” Astor paused again when he heard that. No one had cared about him that way, not even his own family. Such a strange, yet oddly wonderful young man. He couldn't help the blush grow a little more. 

Astor patted Link’s back with a hum before returning to his bed and plushy.  
“Get some sleep Link. You’ll need the energy tomorrow if you plan on protecting me." Link couldn't help the small smile. Glad that Astor was doing well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ain't gonna be no short chapters in this fanfic boi. All my homies hate short chapters!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astor and Link head through Akkala and meet an old friend. Then head up death mountain just to encounter some recence acquaintances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you thought we couldn't make an even longer chapter. 8,000. Have fun.

Come on old man! Just give us the damn blueprints!" Kassy was holding Robbie hostage in his own home. She held a cruelly sharp dagger to his throat. His much younger wife was cowering in the corner near the stairs, sobbing. Scout was currently rummaging through old papers and drawers in one the many desks. His disguise is currently off, wanting the old Sheikah couple to know who had bested them.

The two hunters had barged their way in, demanding any blueprints that would help them control a guardian. Their plan was to use a battalion of guardians to track Astor and the pesky hero to take them out for good. Too bad it wasn't as easy as they thought.  
Digging the blade into Robbie’s jugular, Cassy continued to order them about.

"Look, I know you study guardians for a living. So give us the fucking blueprints to them." She jabbed her weapon at the poor man. "I'm not asking again, old man." 

Scout had moved on from the desk on to the small creates of research. They were clearly labbed in sheikah, but Scout had never taken the time to actually learn his ancestors' language. Hylian was easier and everyone used it anyways. No point to him.

"For the last time. I do not have such blueprints! And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you sorry lot!" Even if Robbie was also cowering in fear, his voice rang with no such emotion. Scout was rushing at this point. Knowing that Kassy was quickly losing her patience and they'd have a dead body on their hands soon. Panicked, Scout combbed the papers til he found some interesting looking one. He couldn't read it, but the pictures showed smaller guardians carrying impressive weapons! It must be something.

Just as Kassy raised her rapier, intent on slashing the old researcher down, Scout gave an "AhHA!" showing off the papers in his hand. 

"Found it Kassy! Just where you said they would be." He giddily ran up to his friend, shoving the papers in her face. "See, see?" He knew Kassy couldn't read sheikah as well. Hoping that the pretty pictures would be enough to assuage her bloodlust. 

She swiped the papers and examined them. "I see it you moron." Examining them and being content with the contents, Kassy moved her dagger away. Not wanting to sheath it in case the hostages retaliated. 

"Well look at that, we found something. Seems the old man was lying." Kassy gave the old man a glare before spitting on the floor. "Well we better get going then, Astor won’t be willing to accept his fate easily.”

"And the hero! When he awakens of course!" With not much of a reason to procrastinate, they both headed out the door. Leaving the research lab a complete mess. Robbie's much younger wife quietly cried in the same corner. During their short time there, they had dismantled so much stuff and even ripped up some papers(courtesy of Kassy). Surprisingly, the one thing to not be destroyed was Cherry, the small machine in the center of the room.

Robbie decided that now wasn't the best time to laugh. He had caught a quick glance at the blueprints the maniacs ran off with. It just so happened to be for weapons that had long been proven dangerous and ineffective. That is, if they didn't get themselves killed looking for some of the parts to it. For now, he had to help clean up the place.

"Poor fools don't know what they got themselves into eh?" He helped his wife up and grabbed a broom, glad that those kids didn't actually find the prints of guardians.

As Scout and Kassy got far enough and hidden deep within one of the forests, they took a better look at the goods they snatched. Kassy had a cursory understanding of sheikah text. Understanding a few words here and there. So she was pissed off when she read the words "prototype weapons" and "prints for weapons". 

Scout was leaning over her to get a better look. Munching away at a banana he had tucked away for later.  
"You dumb motherfucker..." Kassy was giving him the icy cold stare again. The same one from when they first met. Scout just shrugged it off, for he was used to it at this point.

"First of all, I'm not a mother or a fucker I-" Kassy grabbed him by the throat, choking out his last few words. He dropped the banana, hands flying to the arm restraining him. The crushing grip cutting off his air flow.

"You grabbed the wrong fucking papers you moron!" She threw the worthless gunk at the poor yiga member still being choked out. " You grabbed blueprints for weapons, not guardians! I should kill you! I really should! Lucky for you, your dumbass happens to be the son of a leader of trained assassins!" Kassy finally let Scout go, choosing to pace around the thick trees.

"We can't just go back! They'll be ready and are probably hiding the actual papers somewhere else! Maybe even destroy them!" Kassy was loudly thinking to herself again. Scout just picked up the discarded papers, looking them over with the new info.

"Well we can always make these ourselves and use them against the hero. It would be a more hands on approach, but we could do it." Kassy stopped stalking around. Dumbstruck that the Yiga idiot actually thought of something remotely clever. Of course they could just use the weapons and destroy their enemies that way. It would also give her the satisfaction of seeing Astor slowly dying. Begging to be forgiven for his sins while his guts spilled out.

"Scout, for once you're right. I could kiss you right now." Scout blushed a bright red at the comment while Kassy took the papers from him. Sure she was cute, but she was also very skilled and deadly. Father has been pushing for him to marry her, being the perfect wife for a clan full of murderers.

"Seems we need a bunch of guardian parts. Including a few ancient cores. We should head out and report this to the leader. We can ask for help looking for the parts." Kassy shoved the papers in her bag, trying to remember where the nearest Yiga scouts were based. Scout was still mentally reeling back. It wasn't until Kassy tapped him that he came back to reality.

"Come on dumbass, we need to get going in case we got wannabe soldiers on our tails."

**********

After eating a hearty breakfast and nearly escaping the big Zora celebration saying their goodbyes, Astor and Link headed off for the Akkala region. It was pretty emotional for Sidon, as he wanted to get to know his two friends better and give them a proper send off, but Link wanted to update his map and start checking the new region out. Astor of course was just interested in getting away from all the unwanted attention.  
Finding the tower swarmed with guardians and malice, they met a passerby that said an old man named Robbie gave out special gear that protected you from guardians.

Astor bickered about getting this armor first before doing anything rash with guardians. Link easily relented this time, knowing it was a horrible idea to fight guardians unprepared. The nice traveler even gave them a small map of the region and pointed to Robbie's lab.   
Thanking them, the duo headed through Akkala on foot. 

"When do you plan on getting us a horse?" Astor had become sick and tired of walking all day. He much preferred the days when he could float about with magic, but those days were long gone.

"I'm sorry, we? Last I checked you're leaving the group as soon as we find you a new home." Link also didn't mind a faster way of transportation. And as much as he loves horses, they require too much attention at the moment. Once he has completed his mission, he would totally get a nice horse. Name it Becky or somthing.

"Yes I know that, but in the meantime, I require a horse. It will help my search faster." He sounded like a kid trying to convince their parents to get a dog. Going so far as to lean on the other man. Link could feel his bony arm digging into his shoulder.

"How bout this, you can have a horse if you can catch one." Astor was taken back by this. Did this man not see how frail he was? The robes couldn't possibly cover up that much.

"Oh really? Well how about I do so now!" There just so happen to be a pack of wild horses nearby. Astor was not about to be embarrassed by the snarky blonde so easily. He sauntered up to the pack, trying to be careful. It didn't take long for one of them to notice Astor and alert the others. They all scampered off quickly, not giving the mage a chance to catch up. He tried chasing them, but was out of breath fast. Link couldn't hold in his laughter. That melodic tinkling both angered and intrigued the mage. So sweet yet so annoying.

"See? As soon as you catch one of your own you can use it!" Link let Astor catch up to him.

"Well pipsqueak, if my feet weren't so sore I could easily catch one." Link just giggled at him more. 

"Alright if you say so. How about you put your hood back up. We're nearing another stable soon and I know you hate being looked at." Link did so as he said it. Getting pretty close to the taller man. Link could see all the scratched up malice and bones sticking out. It still unnerved him when looking at it, but he was getting used to the sight. The intricacies of his tendons and muscles weaving together. The ragged scars of malice slicing through the tapestry of gore like lightning. An especially large scar ripped right through the mage’s eye, gouging out the topaz orb. The more Astor opened up, the more beautiful he became. 

They easily pass by the stables, not causing too much trouble. Someone did offer them the Akkala specialty buns. They took it, thanking the kind person, even if Astor didn't like the way they worded it.

Both men munched on the warm buns as they hit the doors of Robbie's lab. Sure that it was the place.   
In good old Link fashion, he barged through the doors like he owned the place. Astor not too far behind with his head down and hood up. 

"We thought you scrammed already!" Link wasn't prepared for a broom to whack him out of nowhere. The perpetrator being none other than a short old man. The giant goggles on his face being his most defining feature. It kinda made him look like a lizard, what with how the goggles would move up, down, left and right.

"Owwa, come on crazy eyes! I just got here!" Link rubbed his head, the old man quickly realized his mistake. Recognizing the young hero in front of him.

"My my! Look who we have here. And just when I thought I would have died before your return Link!" Astor was starting to have another panic attack. The old man couldn't be that old. He most likely heard stories of Link or something. But those hope quickly dashed away when remembering that Impa had lived to see him again. Sheikah just had to have miraculous life spans don't they. 

"Sorry for smacking ya Link." The old man put the broom down, now leaning on it. "But not too long ago, a pair of thieves ran off with some worthless junk. Thought they would come back for round two!" 

"I'm sorry but, am I supposed to remember crazy eyes here?" Link looked to Astor while pointing to the old man. Just then a much younger woman walked down from the second floor. Gasping when she saw the new visitors.

"Oh my my. Robbie sweetie, you didn't tell me we would have guests. I don't even have the water boiling yet!" She quickly went back up the steps, presumably to the kitchen. Tea sounded really nice at the moment for Astor. He would need to check for poison though…

"Ah Honey wai- oh never mind. She's too stubborn to listen." Robbie rushed to grab a pen and notebook, planning on jotting down anything of Interest when examining the revived hero. Starting with the clear memory loss.

"Anyways, It seems you've lost some memories. Purah wrote to me not too long ago about it." After jotting it down, Robbie gave Link a handshake.  
"The name is Robbie, and I was one of the royal researchers 100 years ago before the calamity! You used to know me."

"Oh um, that makes sense then. But… what are you doing?" Robbie had raised one of Link's arms up, studying the ancient battle scars and new ones that criss crossed his arm. Astor did not like Robbie touching Link like that at all. Deciding that the old man went senial when it came to personal space.

"Ah, sorry again. But from the moment we put you in the shrine of resurrection, I wanted to study you when you got back out. See what's changed and such." So that's how Link survived for so long. Astor was pretty curious ever since meeting the boy. Robbie got a little too close to Link's face. The boy was sure the old man was squinting trying to get a better look.   
"So how much memory did you lose?"

"Oh um, pretty much all of it. when I woke up." Astor tried looking around without moving around too much, still standing in the doorway. The crude images of guardians made him regret that one. Even if they were poorly made, it still sent shivers down his back.

"Oh that's a shame." Robbie scribbled more down. How many notes did this man need to take to say " Link is an amnesiac."?

"What about the guy behind you? What's he doing traveling with ya?" Astor froze up. Being put on the spot like that still terrified him. He wouldn't let Link give out to many details this time. Enough people already knew.  
Astor grabbed Link's wrist, praying that Link understood.

"Oh, this is just Assy, he's a bit shy." Robbie was confused by the name. But ultimately decided it wasn't worth questioning the man's parents. He wrote down the name as well as a crude drawing of him.

"I've brought the tea! Oh dears, please sit down before catching a cold!" The younger woman came back down with a tea set with piping hot tea. Astor had to be dragged by Link into one of the chairs. He quietly accepted the tea, wanting to take on this shy persona Link has given him.   
Taking a sip, it was delicious. Astor had to restrain himself from burning his tongue while drinking it. It was better than the gunk he made every morning, back when he still lived alone.  
Link said his thanks before taking his own sip, having a similar experience. 

"Now Link, what brings you to our lab today. Since it's not for meeting up with old friends." Robbie took his own seat, finding it much easier to write sitting.

"Well I've been trying to unlock my map on this slate here." Link pulled out said object, showing off the map in question.  
"Problem is, the tower that does that is covered in Guardians and Malice. And I was told I could get really good armor here for it." He put the slate away. Astor was having chills remembering how irritated the dry malice on his face had gotten. If Link wasn't so strong, he would have had to drag himself away. 

Robbie beamed. His hard work finally paid off. " Well well young hero, you're in luck! I happen to have such armor in your size."

"Really?!"

" Yep, but I'm going to have to have some sort of payment. Typically I would ask for rupees and machine parts, but I'm feeling pretty charitable today." Link was excited to hear this discount deal. Being somewhat stingy with his money.  
"If you let me study you and document your experiences. I'll let you have the armor for free."

How was that not a deal Link couldn't take. But Link thought he could one up them. Make the deal sweeter for both parties. He didn't want to drag Astor back to the tower in fear of killing the poor man. So if he let them study Astor instead while Link was out, maybe they could find a way to help the mage in his ailments. Like a cream or something to help the itching. The only issue was Astor's corporation of course.

" Will you give me and my friend a minute here. I need to speak to him about something. In private." With that, Link made Astor drop his second helpings of tea and dragged him outside. Making sure to close the door behind them. Even going so far as to walk a bit away from the door. This was serious.

"Alright you're reeeally going to hate me for this one... but what if you let them study you instead." Link braced for a slap or harsh words that would come from the other man.

"No." 

"Alright listen though! What if you stayed here while I went to get the tower alone. I was thinking that maybe they could help you if you let them." Link was trying to give Astor his weird version of puppy dog eyes again. Astor didn't really think about the proposal. Already set on his answer, he scrunched up his nose and sneered.

"No Link, I will not subject myself to such a thing. I didn't even like it when the old coot got close to you!" He crossed his arms. Giving his own cold stare. Link deflated, realizing the tough batter he was about to face. But not giving in too easily himself. He still had one card up his sleeve.

"Well, I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone and progress faster but, I suppose you rather go back to that tower than stay in a nice cozy lab getting help." Flashbacks to that horrible experience plagued Astor's mind. Alright, so what if Robbie was around 100 year ago? It's very unlikely that he would know who Astor was if he was staying cooped up in a lab all day. Plus the added benefit of not having to backtrack to that awful place.

It was getting way too easy for Link to convince Astor to do things. Even if they were both stubborn at times, Link was clearly more stubborn. The damn hero probably had a second plan anyways on getting Astor to stay.

"Fine, but on one condition. They can't touch my face for any reason unless I say so." Link beamed, glad to have convinced Astor to take the easy route in life for once.

"Oh thank you Assy! I promise I won't take too long and if they do try something they'll have to answer to me." Link carefully brought his hands closer to Astor's face. Almost like he was holding his head but not quite. If Astor would just lean in a little more, he'd feel the warm callous palms of his friend….

Link used the chance to pull away Astor's hood. Letting it fall down to his shoulders. In this light, Assy looked rather beautiful. If you ignored the really greasy, smelly hair of course.

Link pulled away and opened the door, letting the residents catch sight of Astor's scares. Robbie dropped his notebook in shock, having never seen anything like it, making Astor much more self-conscious.

" I have a proposal of my own."  
***********

Suffice it to say, Robbie accepted the proposal with open arms. He gifted Link the ancient armor. It appeared to be a bunch of guardian parts mismatched together to resemble actual armor. The head piece gave Astor a heart attack and forced Link to forgo it.   
While changing, Link found the fancy weapons he picked up in Vah Ruta. Remembering that he wanted to give them to Astor. The mage gladly took the spear, preferring long range over short. Giving it a test swing, Astor dimistrated just how bad he was at fighting, Almost decapitating someone. Link would have to take the time to teach him the basics.

Bidding farewell and promising of a quick return, Link left the tech lab. Leaving poor Astor with a bunch of strangers.

The first hour was fine. Robbie only asked some questions and wrote it down in a fresh notebook.   
"Would you like to tell me what happened? How did you get those burns and scars? Robbie asked.  
"No" Astor answered curtly, keeping his guard up the entire time. He did not make it easy for anyone in that first hour. All Robbie could gather was that Astor was in a terrible accident involving Guardians and that he's been living like a hermit for goddess knows how long.

The second hour, Robbie got a little touchy. Examining Astor's disfigured right arm. He lightly traced the lattice of malice with his bony finger. It felt surprisingly smooth and slick, as if running one’s hand across a marble table or recently waxed metal. 

"Interesting...."  
Robbie let go and pondered for a bit, studying the arm before grabbing a weird looking ruler. Who knew what the crazy man was thinking. At this point Astor was doing everything not to show weakness. Giving the old man a cold dead stare that said "don't make a wrong move or else."

Robbie just brushed off the menacing atmosphere Astor was trying to create, instead casually measuring the length of his arm. The researcher also noted the two missing fingers. He would have to come up with a solution to get them to work…

Robbie moved to the machine in the center of the lab, tinkering with some metal."So, how well can you move those fingers of yours?" 

Astor remained stiff and quiet. Needing to remember that the old man wanted to help. Not get information to attack later.

"Not well, I can barely feel my right arm." It was a little too honest for his taste, But whatever the old coot needed he would try to provide. With exceptions of course.

It remained quiet for the next few hours, Robbie was hammering away at metal and humming to some strange tune to his head. His wife would walk in now and again to check up on the boys. Astor had warmed up to her after her third visit. Of course over time, Astor got bored watching Robbie, deciding to grab some books to read.  
He was deep into this one book about the significance of the Northern Star when Robbie yelled "Eureka!" Presenting what looked like a metal replica of an arm.

"My latest Invention is finally done! Now all we need to do is test it out and tinker with any issues!" Robbie handed it to Astor so he could look at it. It looked similar to the armor he gave Link. It was shaped like a hylian arm, its countless intricate mechanisms partly visible. It looked as if it was meant to be worn as a gauntlet. The only issue was it looked super uncomfortable. Sure it had padding, but some metal seemed to go over into his wrist and tight straps to his hand. Even with little feeling in his arm, Astor was sure he wouldn't want to wear it for too long.

"Well go on, try it on! I'm sure you'll love it." Astor just gave the old man a sceptical look before doing as he said. It was a bit of a struggle and Robbie had to jump in to help, but in the end they got it on.

"Now if you move your wrist up and down you can grip stuff." Astor tried it out, getting mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he can finally use his right arm again. No longer dragging around an almost useless limb. On the other, it would take time to get used to even using his arm again. The bionic arm was just as uncomfortable as he thought unfortunately.

"I know it's not much, still being a prototype and all, but this is the best thing I could come up with to help you." Astor was a little dumbstruck that Robbie actually did try to help. This entire time he assumed the old man was in it for himself. Only using him to get data about the scars and malice that littered his body. He truly didn't know what to think. 

"Oh um…. Thank you then." 

"No need to thank me kid, how about you take some time to get used to the new arm? I'm tuckered out and need a nap." Astor did just that. Spending the rest of the day trying to grab books, drinks or anything else he could find. Getting used to moving his arm again was fantastic. He felt so much better about himself by the end of it, actually feeling useful for once.

If Link was there to see it, he would no doubt be beaming and praising Astor for his small feats. Astor in turn praises himself, Inflating his ego. As soon as Link returned to the lab, Astor planned on showing it off. Maybe by trying to pick the boy up like he had done so many times to him. Or ask him if he wanted a drink, only to grab it with his right hand.  
Unfortunately the prosthetic got too uncomfortable for the mage. He had to take it off for a while. Perhaps soon he could show it off.

***************  
It wasn't until the next day that Link finally returned. It had taken him so long for quite a few reasons. He would explain it all when he got there.   
Barging in, Link spotted Astor fast asleep on a couch. A small blanket covering the man. It was adorable and Link had to restrain himself from pinching Astor's cheeks when shaking him awake.  
The tired man was startled up, forgetting where he was for a brief moment until he met eyes with Link. He had been worried sick all night, only passing out from exhaustion.

"I take the studying went alright? Didn't expect you to fall asleep so easily in a foreign place without your bodyguard." Link gave a soft smile, happy to see his friend getting rest. It always seemed that the mage had bad sleeping habits with those deep bags under his eyes.

"Yes it went okay.." Astor rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What took you so long anyways?" Link gave a bigger grin.

"You'd have to see it to believe it but after getting my butt kicked getting to the tower I ran into this old dude. He had this sweet machine that looked like a horse and I asked him about it." Astor was vaguely listening along. Trying to imagine the scenario. "And he said it was for me but I wasn't ready for it. I said I would still fight him for it and he humoured me. Long story short I won and now we have this machine called a bike." Astor shot up. What the hell was Link talking about? He vaguely remembered reading something just last night about some machine called a bike. Some strange kind of divine beast only spoken of in ancient texts.

"What do you mean "bike"?" 

"Well I can't show you if you don't follow me first." Link scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Of course Assy wouldn't understand unless he showed him. Doubt he would still wouldn't believe him after seeing first hand.

Astor quickly grabbed his stuff, shoving the prosthetic into his back. He noticed something glowing a vibrant pink at the bottom, but payed no mind to it. Both men headed outside to see what Astor could only describe as a metallic horse on wheels. It looked just like the book described it.  
"Oh my fucking Goddesses. I can't believe it."

"I know! And to think all I had to do was beat up an old man! Come on, I wanna get going before the sun even rises." Link rushed down to the bike, hopping onto like one would do with a horse, only smaller.  
"Come on grumpy pants! I only got minimal experience with this thing and it's gonna take us up death mountain! Next stop, Lava town!!" The hero gave an exaggerated pose. Astor just stood there dumbfounded. He sure was being made to look like a gaping fish that day. But he couldn't believe it. The Mastercycle was said to be just a legend. A 5th divine beast that never existed. And here it was, in possession of the most adorably idiotic boy in the world. Link revved its engine, snapping the mage out of it.

"Alright alright! Just let me leave a note for Robbie on where we're going. Don't want that poor idiot to think I got kidnapped or something." Astor went inside and grabbed some paper and pen. Writing down that he was leaving with Link early and that he planned on writing them time from time about his prosthetic. Maybe while he was at it, he could write to Sidon about their adventures, but that would have to wait.

For now, Astor tried to hop onto the back of the bike. He realized he would have to hold onto Link if he didn't want to go flying off. He kept his head low as he tightly held on, the hero's lithe muscles feeling great.   
Link couldn't see Astor's rather lewd reaction to the close proximity and he was glad for it.

As the duo drove around, Link crashed into trees or bushes multiple times. Even running over an unfortunate animal or two. They just didn't see it coming. It wasn't until they got to the base of death mountain that the Mastercycle finally ran out of fuel, puttering to a stop. Both men couldn't figure out what was wrong. While Link was looking over the Mastercycle, Astor pulled up his hood and looked up the path. His blood ran cold when he recognized where the path led. 

“There will be shelter up ahead Link, but also some fire Wizzrobes.” He called back to Link. It was about late noon now. They had spent the majority of the day riding around unfortunately.

“How do you know? I'm pretty sure you've been a shut in for years! Besides, I can’t move this thing up there!” Link got frustrated enough to kick the poor machine, regretting the action as his foot stung from impact. " Ah dammit! Stupid piece of junk! I had to beat some guy up for you!" He childishly pointed at the bike as if it could hear him.

“Just use your slate to summon it in and out of reality, simple really.” The seer rolled his eye and started walking towards the bike. The young hero would need to learn more about Sheika technology. With the combined power of two idiots that have no clue what they're doing, they successfully found a way to put the bike up. It dissipated into tiny little shards before being sucked into the slate. With the bike securely packed away, they both headed up the mountain path.

The sun was setting when Link and Astor made it to this “shelter” that the mage was referring to. The shelter was in fact a burnt out village. Its roofs had been mostly crushed and the windows blown out. What appeared to be burn marks of some kind lashed the houses. It wasn’t very inviting. Near the entrance was a single Fire Whizzrobe. It pranced about in the air, giggling menacingly. Astor stopped Link from just rushing at it with his sword. This idiot was ready to kill any monsters on sight. It was like the hero saw the poor things as some sort of prize or plaything.

“Wait, Fire Wizzrobes are deathly weak to ice. I know you bought one or two ice arrows before we left Zora's domain. Give them to me, now.” The seer demanded, careful to keep his voice down as not to alert their enemy. He was dead set on being helpful this time, even if he could just sit back and watch.

“Alright alright, don’t be so uptight." Link handed Astor his lynal bow and small stock of ice arrows. The Seer planned to attack from a distance. He used to enjoy archy in his prime years so hopefully that will help him in the fight. "Let me guess, I’m going to act as some sort of distraction while you shoot?” The seer silently nodded as Link firmly handed him the arrows.

“Good, now lead it into the open so we have room to maneuver.”   
Link nodded and quickly ran out into the Wizzrobe’s line of sight. It gave a malicious laugh seeing the short man.

“Hey fuck face! Come on and roast me!” Link yelled, swinging his golden sword about, smacking his butt to irritate the monster. The Wizzrobe laughed more and danced before suddenly disappearing.

“Wha-Where’d it go?” As if on cue, the clever fiend appeared right behind the young hero. He spun around and swung his sword just as a fireball nearly hit him in the face. Astor took this time to get into position. The Wizzrobe just needed to teleport with its back turned to the entrance, then he would have a clear shot.   
Link bobbed and weaved around the flames, singing himself a few times. 

“Are you almost in position Assy?” He huffed as another fireball struck his sword.

“Yes, just follow my words, keep it distracted!” Astor called out, clutching the ice arrows tightly in his good hand. It was reasonable to assume he was having issues holding the bow, trembling in his hold. Link followed his orders and dodged behind the Wizzrobe. Now all he needed to do was push it back. They fought for what felt like ages, but bit by bit Link was able to corner it. Every time the bastard tried to teleport, Astor fired an arrow to stun the creature as Link swung his mighty sword. He could see Astor behind a rock, his topaz eye fixed on the target.

In truth, he was being distracted by Link's fighting. To see such skill on display was something he had only read about in ancient tomes. The way he moved and almost danced around the fire. To Link, it was almost half-assed and barely enough to not get scorched. The hero slammed the Wizzrobe with the flat of his blade, shoving its back right into an ice arrow. With a poof of flame and a sudden yelp, their foe was no more. Dropping on the ground was a wand the monster had used.

Link panted and leaned against the rocks. His eyes met Astor’s as both men recovered from the fight. The young hero was exhausted from the fight, the intense heat sapping at his strength. He took a swig of water from his canteen. Hopefully it would last them the rest of the journey. Link doubted there would be any water in a volcano. Astor turned to him and handed the young man a bottle.

“I want you to go collect some fireproof lizards while I scout out the village. They are a dull shade of black and tend to be underneath rocks and in crags. We will need them if we don’t wish to combust.” Link nodded and started off in the direction of some debris. Astor watched him walk off, turning to the derelict village with a sigh. 

The mage walked into the burnt out husk of a house. He remembered this place. At one point many hylians lived in the shadow of the volcano. Perhaps life had been perfect for them. Good trade routes with the Gorons and Akkala, lot’s of food from the base of the mountain, and a close proximity to the Spring of Courage. Everything was perhaps perfect. Everything until the Calamity struck.

Astor remembered leading his troop of Malice Guardians up the path they had just been on. It was nearly sundown and the mage’s sensitive skin was irritated by the ash. The last of the Royal Guards were stationed there. Their silver armor and razor sharp rapiers readied. Astor remembered that same silver armor and blade being used by that strange lady on the night he had to leave.

Alas, they were no match for his mighty powers. The enhanced guardians, machines that he had modified himself, fired indiscriminately. Astor himself made sure that not even a child would be left to tell the tail. However, fate had other plans it seemed. Hopefully some people must have escaped the massacre all those years ago. They would tell stories of a wrathful mage and his death machines; stories that were echoed by many other villagers across Hyrule. 

Deep down Astor knew he couldn’t fault anyone for hating him like that old coot Impa. He had killed countless people that night and had revealed in it. Countless more would fall until things came to a head many days later. By sunrise he had left the volcano covered in blood and soot. Lord Ganon would be pleased, or at least so he thought….

He was brought out of his sordid thoughts when Link ran back up the path with a bottle full of live lizards. His face red from the heat and exercise.

"Yo Assy! Look at all these cool lizards I caught! They were really hard to catch cause they kept running away but I caught them!" He panted out. There was a little bit of dirt in his hair, making him all the more cute. Link shoved the bottle into Astor's hand before storming into the shelter.Just Link being idiotic as usually.

They would also need monster parts. A key ingredient Astor knew his dangerous friend had."I assume you have monster parts as well?"

"Why wouldn't I? I kill 'em for a living. We just need a way to cook them right? I've seen the recipes for fireproof earlier but never actually tried it." The inside was just as if not even more destroyed as the outside. Large chunks of debris litter the floor. Each step inside scattered ashes everywhere. Astor's stomach dropped at Link's casual "kill 'em for a living" remark but paid no mind to it. Link didn't have a clue on what happened here.

"Of course, unless you plan to to eat raw lizards." To be fair, Link probably would do that. In no time at all they cleared out the debris blocking a fireplace. A cooking pot still sat within it. It was nasty, but doable for the duo.

"Well I'm not passing on the idea. I've done it before." They started the fire and set to cooking dinner. A simple mushroom and meat skewer. It tasted divine for Astor, once again putting his own terrible cooking skills to shame. He would really need to learn some culinary skills in case Link ever needed him to cook. They sat and ate in comfortable silence until Link spoke up.

"So… have you found Akkala suitable enough for living in?" Link solemnly asked, facing the dying fire. He seemed saddened and unsure, a stark contrast to his unusual self.

"What do you mean?" Astor took his last bite of dinner. Setting the bare stick down.

"Well, Akkala had a lot of trees and wildlife, a perfect place for someone to build a hut and live on their own." Link still wouldn't look at Assy, afraid that he would start crying if he looked at him. He really didn't want Astor to leave, but that had been the whole point of travelling with the man. He really had come to depend on the other. Feeling he would have lost his sanity otherwise.  
Astor didn't want to leave either. To be truthful, it stopped being his reason some time ago. Now he just wanted company, someone to travel with and talk to. A friend he must admit.

"Hmmm….no, Akkala has a lot of…. People! Yes people. Travelers who would want to explore the area would no doubt find me. I’d rather be even more secluded.” It was a good enough excuse for now. Link smiled, brightening up the dusty room a little more.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. I'll be heading to bed then. Gotta rise early for the trek up Death mountain right?" Link shuffled inside his bag for a bit, pulling out a thin blanket. Astor did the same, only coming up with a much larger one and a pillow. 

The mage thought about it for a bit before deciding,  
“How about we share my blanket for the night, I wouldn't want my bodyguard to catch a cold." Astor didn't know when he started softening up so much, but was glad when Link took the proposal. The young hero snuggling up to him and quickly falling asleep. He was just too adorable to not watch for a few minutes. 

Sleep took hold of his already drooping eye, threatening a terrible sleeping position for the night. Before long Astor settled down, making sure to grab Yuga, the stuffed boar. It was like a blessing from the gods that the stuffed creature appeared that day. Ever since it did, it seemed his nightmares were no more. Hopefully, with the hero of Hyrule by his side and Yuga, his nightmare wouldn't return this night as well.

************

After making homemade fireproof elixirs and obtaining the map for Death mountain, the duo was able to make good progress. The heat was excruciating and Astor made sure the poor hero hear every single word of it. Luckily there weren't too many monsters on the road, but occasional loose rocks from above kept their guard up. They had just made it near the entrance of a mining facility when some issues appeared.

"Link that pile of rocks looks really suspicious." Astor pointed to the pile of rocks that looked infused with lava. 

"I don't know what you mean Assy. Looks like a normal pile of rocks to me." To make his point clear, Link got closer to it. Only being stopped by his one impulse control, Astor.  
"I wouldn't be so sure, looks more like an Igneo Talus to me." 

"Well I'm sorry to say, but that's just a normal pile of rocks."

"Link you dumbass, does that “normal” pile of rocks look similar to literally any other normal pile of rocks to you?!" Astor made his point by motioning to all the rocks and boulders around them. They bickered like that for ages. Fighting over what normal rocks even looked like proper idiots. At some point Link mentioned how he once ate a rock that looked like the normal rocks. It was apparently very delicious and spicy. 

Neither noticed the very familiar strangers walking upon them. They only paid them mind when one of them screeched, "Holy shit! It's them!" 

It was Kassy and Scout, who were also traveling through Death Mountain because there were some broken down guardians in the area.They were searching for parts and some Yiga tipped them off about it. Scout had forgo his heavy travelers disguise in favor of his lighter more flexible Yiga outfit. Meaning their enemy got a full good look at his true identity. But it hardly mattered. What were the odds they would find the seer and hero out here ripe for the picking?

“Well now, isn’t this just serendipity? Scout! Get them!” The young Yiga clan member was nearly giddy with excitement, time to prove his worth and down this fiend! They had another perfect chance to take down the traitor and that blasted blondie.

"Alright then! Here we go." Before Astor could assess the situation, Scout was already throwing punches. Punching the ground and using a little magic to make it rise. It was like a fissure of air that headed straight for Astor. He just barely dodged backwards before the fissure erupted. His back hitting the strange pile of rocks. It radiated a heat close to the lava, burning his back quite badly. He screamed and jumped back.Kassy saw the opening and also started her assault on Astor, but was quickly deflected by Link, who took his own battle stance. He may have not have immediately recognized them, but anyone attacking out of the blue meant no good. Once the two skilled warriors locked eyes, his face lit up in recognition and anger. Kassy was seeing red. How dare this pipsqueak get in her way not once but twice! 

"Anyone who dares get in my way will be dealt with permanently." With her rapier, Kassy thrusted. Her weapon hitting off Link's shield, effectively deflecting every attack. The hero tried for a few swings of his own with his Lynal sword, but Kassy was swift enough to dodge them. Their weapons clash with one another, both waiting for the other to slip up. Kassy was skilled in her own right, even in a blind rage, Link had to give her that. She almost effortlessly parried and danced around every one of his swings. There were no openings to be had.

Meanwhile Astor was effectively pinned behind a wall. Scout getting closer with his own choice weapon, a Demon Cutter. 

"When we finally drag your corpse to base dad will be so proud!" Astor desperately searched his bag for anything. He should have that spear Link gave him somewhere! Damit! He should have never given that bow back to the boy. Just before Scout could swing, Astor dodged out of the way again. The Yiga lodged his weapon into the rock instead. It began trembling as if something was coming to life.

"That's…. Not good." Scout backed off himself, the Demon Carver still in the rock as it began to take shape. Neither Kassy or Link noticed the giant Igneo Talus forming behind them. They were just too busy.

“Um Link?! We have bigger issues now!" Astor stated, fumbling around to get up. 

"What?" That was the one mistake and Kassy took it. Stabbing Link right in the side. Blood gushed out when the hunter sickeningly pulled her rapier out. An unhinged smile on her face as Link fell on his knees.

"Like I said, get in my way and I'll remove you. If only you knew my intentions “hero”." She spat. Without bothering to clean her weapon, Kassy made a beeline for Astor.

"Wait um Kassy! We should maybe think about-" Scout was cut off.

"Quiet you fool! We just found Astor and there is no way I'm letting him get away again." Just then the Igneo Talus made its presence clear by throwing a rocky limb Kassy's way. It was off by a few feet in front of her, but was enough to stop the mad woman in her tracks. Some of the debris even stung her eyes.  
"Oh son of a bitch!"

In no time, everyone was disoriented and spread out. Link staggered up, trying to use the chance to find Astor and regroup with him. The Talus swung its other arm, the rocks landing somewhere behind the hero. With all the ash that was scattered in the air, it was hard to see. He did see Kassy wildly wavering her arms trying to clear the ashes quicker. 

Within a rash decision, Link bolted into the fray. Pass Kassy who didn't realise Link had gotten back up and right at the lanky figure who he hoped would be Assy. Due to the ash and his injury, he struggled to pick up the poor mage. All this scattered ash must be extremely irritating as Astor could stop digging into his eye socket. The dust coated both their throats and eyes.

"Yo *cough cough* Kassy you still there?" It was hard enough to see in the mask. Now it was damn near impossible to see jack shit. Scout blindly walked around and ended up bumping right into the Talus. Good news was that his Demon Carver fell out of the monster. Bad news was that it had finished restocking its limbs.  
"Oh fuck."

Finally the ashes settled once more. Kassy once more made a beeline for Astor. Unfortunately for her, Link had already carried him off. Nowhere to be seen. So not once but twice did that little brat steal her prize.

"GHAAAAAA!!!" Kassy pulled at her short black hair, royal upset that the goddesses were openly mocking her. She's been searching for the bastard for countless years and she finally finds him not once but twice! And twice has he gotten away. Twice, he had made a mockery of her!

Kassy was too upset to notice her teammate struggling with the Talus. His body being flung into the air every which way. 

No doubt they were heading for Goron city. But with lack of equipment, they wouldn't be able to follow. Dammit that one eyed bastard was lucky. If Kassy had her way then they would follow and publicly execute his ass in front of all the Gorons. But unfortunately…  
Kassy turned around to find the Talus had gotten bored with Scout, the monster deciding that he was no threat. Scout layed bruised and bloodied. Half dead on the ground with a little surrender flag. If Kassy had a sense of humor she would laugh, but she didn't.

"Get up loser we're leaving back down the mountain." She kicked the poor Yiga in the cracked ribs.

"We're not…. chasing them…?" Scout quickly sprung back to life. Collecting himself and locking around for his trusty weapon.

"No, we don't have the armor nor elixirs left to chase them deeper into the mountains. Best thing to do is go back down the mountain and wait to surprise attack them there." Kassy did just that, giving Scout little time to grab his weapon. With her rapier still out, she pulled out a fine cloth to wipe away the cold blood. Once cleaned, the fine metal reflected her menacing face. Already coming up with plans on Astor's execution.

A public one sounded just fine after all...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Astor finally make to Goron city! As they continue forward Link gets a little taste of mortality while Astor realizes somthing he's been missing all along.

Link bolted the rest of the way to Goron City. He was afraid to look behind and see their attackers still chasing them. White-hot pain shot through his side with each step.

“H-hold on Assy! We’re almost there!” He pants. Things were getting blurry and black spots were appearing in his vision. Link sucked in his breath and dived behind a large rock. He could see the iron-wrought gates of Goron City. The young hero held his breath and listened for Kassy and Scout before peaking over the corner. 

They were gone. He sighed and rested his head against Astor’s bony shoulder. The mage was almost as exhausted as Link. Astor looked over at his friend and was horrified by the stab wound on his side. 

“L-Link! Don’t fall asleep, you're still bleeding!” He smacked his cheek firmly and gave him a good shake. Astor placed his hand against the injury, trying not to panic. He ripped a strip of cloth from his robe and tied it around Link’s side. 

“Hold on! Let me get my potions!” Rummaging through his bag, Astor pulled out a single vial of hearty elixir. Link had nagged him about catching lizards and taking some of the monster parts from him. Now, Astor was praising the stars that he had stood his ground and made this elixir. 

“Don’t fall asleep on me you idiot! Please don’t!” He tried to hide the desperation in his baritone voice. Astor grabbed the young man’s head and forced his mouth open. The seer’s hands were shaking as he poured the elixir down. Link coughed weakly and wiggled about. 

“Good good, keep coughing and swallowing the potion. Halfway there, keep it up!” Each drop seemed to give the hero new strength and soon he was fully aware. Astor laughed and grinned, giddy with the fact that his friend was coming around. He stroked his ash kissed cheek as he poured the last bit of the elixir. The bottle was discarded as soon as Link swallowed the last of it. Rolling on the ground forever forgotten in favour of more important things.

"Oh, I thank Fate today! Please say something, anything! Link just gave a weak smile. The poor hero looked tired and pale from blood loss. 

"Something." Yes, the potion had done its trick. Quickly sealing up the stab wound only leaving a nasty fresh scar. Tears pricked the seer's good eye, huffing a sigh of relief. Link tried to comfort his friend.

"Assy…. It's not that easy to kill me." He tried to stroke the mage's greasy hair, only to pull it back at how horrible it felt. His hand was covered in hair oily, dead lice, and dandruff. He would need to address that later...

Astor seemed to calm down though. Regaining his composure once he realized where he was. It was not a good time to start crying in front of your weakened bodyguard.

"Your right. You're pretty hard to kill huh." He wiped away his tears. " I admit I…. overreacted. We should get going." The urge to kiss away Astor's unease and worry away was strong. But Link stayed put, knowing that Astor would recoil In disgust and leave right then and there. After what they just escaped, he really didn't want that. What if they returned or worse, and Assy was all alone without his bodyguard. Link wouldn't leave his side so easily after that.

"Yea, we should be near that one city right? Goron city?" Both men got up and patted off as much dirt and ash as possible. Still ending up pretty dirty. Once they saw the cost clear of any attackers again, they walked from their hiding spot and continued up the mountain. Astor kept watch of Link from behind. Making sure the hurt hero wouldn't stumble on their way up. But finally, after what felt like ages, they were in Goron city. 

At that point Astor wasn't so concerned about covering his face. Knowing that Gorons didn't care much for Hylian politics and such, they probably wouldn’t pay him any mind. Honestly, Death mountain would be a great place to hide out, if one was willing to deal with the harsh environment of course. Gorons greeted them left to right. Calling them brother and going about their usual business.

"So I must ask, what do you plan to do here Link?" He didn't want to be wandering around the city for nothing after all. Didn't know why he didn't ask earlier honestly.  
Link just simply pointed to the volcano not too far off. A giant lizard scaled it and seemed to stare them down.  
"Impa said Goron city needed help, so I came to help!"

"Oh fuck no, Link you were just stabbed! We need to find you a place to rest for the rest of the day at least!" A particular Goron overheard their conversation.

"Well I feel fine, the potion did wonders anyways Assy!" Link wasn't about to hear it. He'd sustained worse before and walked out just fine.

"Yooo, heard you need a place to rest!" Both travellers glanced over to the new voice. An older Goron standing in front of a building. The label on top suggests an inn. His warm smile welcoming them in for rest.

"See Link? Fate has it you need some rest. At least a place to set our stuff and plan our next move." Astor didn't want to hear it from Link, having enough of the hero pushing him around to do stuff. Link could only begrudgingly follow the mage inside the inn. Mumbling about pushy mage's or somthing.

"Heard you two needed a good rest and I agree! Travelling up here is very hard goro! My brother should be inside for yea goro." Thus, the duo paid for two normal beds. Being too broke at the moment to get the special. Their luck on everything being given to them had finally run out…

All Link wanted to do was go right back out and find a way to deal with the giant lizard that clearly was the next divine beast. If Vah Ruta was any similar. But Astor seemed content to just take a nap. The events of earlier draining out his sense of adventure for the day.

The hero couldn't help twiddling his thumbs as he sat on one of the many beds. "What's gotten you so relaxed? Usually you hate being in settlements or around others?" Astor laid on his bed, his one eye closed. 

"Gorons don't care too much about Hylians. No need to be frightened of them." 

Astor could feel the energy radiating from Link. The need to get moving was strong within him. The mage wouldn't allow it though, they both needed to rest for a while. The loud stomping of a very mad goron could be heard from outside. They needed rest though. Rest, yes rest, just-

"Has anyone seen Yonobo!!!"

"Sorry goro! Thought he went to get those painkillers!"

"Nope, last I saw of him was heading to get those meds goro!"

Astor groaned and buried his head into the rock pillow. Well the rest was fun while it lasted. A very old and grouchy goron peaked his head into the inn, no doubt spotting its particular guests. Seriously though, how many old people would they run into during this journey?

"Have any of you seen Yunnobo? Lazy kid ran off again with my dang meds!" If it wasn't made obvious enough, the old Gordon's back made a loud cracking noise. He winced in pain. The goron behind the check-in counter only nodded.  
"Sorry goro, haven't seen him all day." 

One glance at Link confirmed Astor's suspicions. The blasted boy was planning on helping in any way he could. Even if it meant dragging Astor across the seven seas by his sore feet.

"I can help look for him!" Before Astor could tell him to shut up, the old goron took notice.  
"Thank you brother! But I'm afraid I can go dragging strange travelers into goron business like that."

"I'm no strange traveler. I'm actually here to-'' Astor shot up and clamped the boy’s mouth down with his bony hand. They were going to rest, he was going to rest. Not be dragged into dealing with another divine beast. The way it stared at them earlier gave Astor severe chills. Thinking about it made his face itch.  
"We were just here to check out the hot springs!"

Link easily removed the man's hand.  
"No, I'm actually here to deal with that giant lizard up on the volcano." It was no use. Link was just too powerful and stupid. Now the old goron was interested, waddling his way to the duo.

"Oh really now? Old Rudania up there doesn't just listen to anyone now. Only a champion like Daruk could do such a feat!" The conversation continued as such. With The old goron known as Bludo telling tales of the great goron champion Daruk. Astor didn't pay too much attention to the stories for he already knew them.

He remembered the burley goron. Daruk had almost stopped him once when he was rampaging a town closer to death mountain. The way he held his weapon was a feat to hylians and certainly would have crushed Astor to paste if he didn't escape when he did. All Astor could do was shove his face into the rock hard pillows and think of other less bitter things. Such as how plump Link's butt looked at the right angle or how soft his hair must be when cleaned. He let his mind wander to less savory places while the world went on around him.

Link had talked about his mission, and how he was supposed to reclaim Rudania. Bludo listened intently, but broke the bad news that the only way to get to Rudania was by shooting it down with the cannons. The same cannons that wouldn't work without Yunnobo, which is why Bludo was looking for the kid. Link easily agreed to help look for the kid. Being given directions that he may be near an old mine west of Goron city. 

"Well whatever you two plan on doing. I'm not going. I’m too tired to deal with your divine beast shenanigans today." Astor huffed and rolled over away from the two.  
"But I'm not leaving you unprotected Assy, I don't want you to get killed while I'm away." Link was packing his stuff back up. Ready to start dragging Astor across Death mountain like a child. If he wanted to act like one during this then so be it!

"Don't worry goro, we Goron are very strong and I'll will watch over your friend while you're away." On cue, Bludo's back started acting up again. Making a loud crackling sound as he winched in horrid pain, not convincing Link in the slightest.

"Er well, at least everyone but me for the time being."  
Link sighed. At least it saved him from having to drag Astor around lava pits for the time being. Even if he didn't like the idea of leaving Assy alone for longer than need be. The mage always found a way to get into trouble.

"Alright then, I'll be back as soon as possible with Yunobo. Astor don't go too far from the city please. I don't want you to be caught off guard without me." Link would have patted Astor's head If he didn’t remember the horribly greasy hair underneath the hood. "While I'm gone maybe you should wash your hair out."  
A muffled,  
"You're starting to sound like my mother asshole." was all Link got. Alright sounded like Assy agreed. Now to look for Yunobo. 

Walking out, Link spotted a peculiar mountain nearby. It looked to be carved into the faces of three Goron. They all seemed strangely familiar, with the baby giving him a slight headache. But the biggest one felt the most familiar…. 

That's when Link recalled Daruk. Remembering the time he was on top Rudania with the goron. Almost getting squashed if it wasn't for.. what he called it? Daruk's defence or something like that. Whatever the case it was similar to Mipha's.   
With this new memory, Link steeled himself to head west and look for Yunobo. The blazing hot atmosphere made Link sweat bullets down his back. He'd have to find more fireproof elixirs soon before running out of his homemade stock. He still had plenty left though so he would worry until getting back with the runaway goron.

*********

It hadn't been ten minutes until Astor got bored playing in the rock hard bed. It hurt his back so it was damn impossible to fall asleep. He restlessly turned in the bed before huffing and giving up. Surely there was a better way to relax in this cursed heat-driven city.

"Hey innkeeper! What do travellers usually do around here?!" Astor's aggravation was clear in his voice. He needed a way to relax and cool off. Link had taken all the fireproof anyways and he could feel the heat seeping into his sensitive skin. Maybe he would take Link up on that offer to bathe before the hero got back.

"Well goro, they're usually here for the gems we mine or hot springs to the east."  
Gems and hot springs sounded right up his alley at the moment."And where do you find these things?" 

"I'm sure there's a small shop nearby with the gems. You might need someone to lead you to the springs though. Apparently, they're hard to find for first-time visitors." Astor was rummaging through his bag. He didn't have a lot of money for anything pretty but maybe he could steal it. He was a good thief, right? It shouldn't be too hard to get something nice for his troubles.

Astor found his metallic hand and decided to wear it for a bit. Maybe garner some sympathy to lower the prices. But before all that he should check out those springs. His bones ache more than anything and a good soak could do wonders.

Astor packed up and headed out for the springs. As the Gorons stated, he got a bit lost and needed someone to lead him. But once there the sparkling clear water couldn't have been more enticing. Unfortunately, there were others also taking a dip, so Astor had to look for a more private spring behind a rock. 

He discarded most of his clothes except for undergarments and dipped in. The water felt foreign to his dirty skin. Months and even years of being unwashed were finally catching up to him. Weeks of just laying in bed all day In his own filth, barely noticing how caked in shit, gore, and mud after a boar hunt. Not having the energy to eat or do anything. Living in isolation for so long makes one not care for personal hygiene.

That first dip back into hot steaming water felt so good, Astor couldn't hold in the moan escaping his lips. The water felt divine. Once fully submerged, Assy relaxed and tilted his head to lay on the side of the spring. The warm mineral-rich waters soothed his aches and pains. Even his old malice wounds felt a lot better. Perhaps this could be something he did when they were irritating him. 

"Ughhhhhhhhh" Astor was spacing out, forgetting his surroundings completely. The seer absentmindedly ran his hand across his chest, trying to splash the irritated mess of malice and muscle. Despite how enjoyable it was to just be by himself, Assy couldn’t help but wish Link was with him. The young hero undressing and joining the mage in the warm waters.

Undressed, skin in full view, and….wet. Astor shot up out of his daydream. A healthy blush taking his entire face down to his neck. The heat must really be getting to Astor. Link was just not that attractive right? His mind was playing tricks on him, as there would be no reason for him to find Link so…. Attractive.

Astor groaned. He'd been thinking about Link nonstop since they left Zora's domain. He didn't know why he started to find the boy so attractive, he'd been nothing more disgusting this entire time. Taking monster guts and always being caked in some weird substance. Though the more Astor thought about it he realized he'd been just the same. "I suppose I've been a little too critical of the young hero's habits…"

Then what made the boy so attractive? It couldn't be his bulging muscles or adorable blue eyes….

Yep that was exactly the case. Astor found power attractive and Link was almost the walking embodiment of it. But that didn't mean he like-liked the hero, did it? It just meant Astor found him extremely attractive. Guys can find each other attractive and not actually fall in love right? He was sure that was the case, he's seen it before. With his dilemma solved, Astor went back to soaking in the spring in peace. Making sure to scrub his hair, a lot of gunk floated around the once clean spring. He noticed that his skin was a lot more pale than it was before he got in the hot spring.

The mage also made sure to clean his robes and rinse it out, as to not immediately get dirty putting them back on. Astor had to admit, he felt so much better afterwards. His mind and body felt far more relaxed.  
"I must make sure to bring Link here some time." He headed back to the city, making sure to look for the jewelry shop but finding no such luck. It seemed that Goron was mistaken or meant something different. Either way, Astor was disappointed as to not get his hands on new jewelry.

***********

Link returned not too long after with the missing goron. The hero was pleased when he checked up on Astor to find the man asleep with his plush boar snuggled in his arms. He was even more pleased when he touched the man's much cleaner hair, his soft black locks were almost silky. 

Link couldn’t help but pet it gently. It was strange seeing the mage so clean and well-kempt. Hell, he was rather attractive now that he didn’t smell like a corpse and wasn’t caked in sweat and dust. The young hero ran his fingers through the coal black locks and gave his good cheek a little tickle. Astor stirred a little bit, his ear twitching as he felt Link’s breath against it. Blue eyes met topaz as Astor gazed at him lazily. 

“Hmmmm….Link? You’ve got that goron I assume?”  
“Yup, sure do. He’s waiting for me to join him on the road to Death Mountain. I’ve briefed the kid as many times as I could about the cannons and shit, but he’s a real scaredy-cat.” With that Astor chuckled deeply. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eye. 

“For your sake I hope he won’t give you as much trouble as I would if I came with you.” He gave Link a gentle nudge with his elbow. The mage then remembered that Link hadn’t yet experienced the joys of a hot spring bath.

“Oh Link, about why I am so clean. There’s a hot spring about a twenty minute walk from here due north east. You could do with a wash after you’re done, you need it.” Link just laughed at the remark.

“Ha! Does someone want to see me shirtless?” Astor’s face turned red with embarrassment.   
“Um, no… No, I'm more concerned about you being a public health hazard. That’s all.” The seer blushed even harder and put his hood on. He was failing miserably at hiding his embarrassment. 

“I see… Well I’m sure once I’m done babysitting the living rock I’ll be able to join you walking garbage can.” He ruffled the newly washed hair and laughed that same tinkling laugh. Astor afforded a modest chuckle himself and patted Link on the back. 

“Fate guide you out there, you’ll need it you idiot!”   
“Indeed I will Assy! Take care man!” With that Link left the inn, waving goodbye over his shoulder.   
************

"Oh goro, you sure we should be doing this?" Yunobo was standing to the side of a cannon. They were just about to enter death mountain but first needed to lower the bridge to get across some lava.

"Yes Yunobo, I'm sure the boss is fine with us taking on the beast without him." Link was really trying to be nice, like really trying, but Yunobo's skittish nature was making everything go too slow for Link's taste. It wasn't the kid's fault, but he was really starting to lose it when the goron asked that question every five minutes.

"I'll right Goro, if-if you say so." Yunobo got inside the cannon, curling himself up into a ball and activating a red shield around his body. He called it Daruk's protection. Said he got it from his grandfather Daruk. Link didn't care about the legistius of Goron reproduction. 

Instead getting the bright idea to use a remote bomb to light the cannon. He'd done it before in one of those shrines, it should work the same here.

"Please be c-careful goro…" Yunobo didn't get to finish his sentence before Link placed the bomb inside and activated it. Blasting the young goron right into the bridge, sending it down. The bridge made a loud clunk as it hit the ground, Link wasted no time going across. Yunobo was dizzy from impact but easily shook it off to follow behind.

Right as they made it halfway across, Rudania gave a loud haunting screech, halting both men. Something from it back opened up, releasing these weird flying objects of sheikah technology. They all landed somewhere on the mountain.

"Oh goro, this is bad! Rudania sent out its sentrys again! If any of them spots us we're toasted rock goro…" Yunobo twiddles his fingers nervously. He always got caught by those things but usually the boss was there to help.

"We should have a signal. In case something happens and you need me to sit still for a bit…"

Link pondered on if for a bit before agreeing. It was good to have a way to communicate from afar in case they got separated.

"Alright, how about a whistle?" Link demonstrated his whistle skills. Making a loud enough noise that even Yunobo would be about to hear it from afar.  
"That's perfect Goro! We should head out before Rudania decides to take a more offensive approach to get us to leave."

Both the hylian and Goron headed up the mountain. Dodging sentry after sentry. At some point Link had to climb up and use a metal box to bash the machines out of the sky. He got a little carried away with it, bringing the metal box along to bash anything in sight. Yunobo was scared the tiny hylian would accidentally hit him with it.

They made it to the first cannon, loading Yunobo inside and shooting him at Rudania. It gave a terrible screech as it climbed up the volcano to get away. The duo just continued heading upwards until they found another cannon. Rinse and repeat until they've basically scaled the entire mountain. Rudania had nowhere else to go, being trapped uptop.

"Good job Goro! After this last hit Rudania should calm down!" Link had to pat himself on the back as well. He couldn't wait to get inside and deal with whatever was inside. If it was the same as Ruta, then Daruk might be trapped in there by some awful creature.

"Alright Yunobo, you know what to do!" The Young Goron settled himself on the Cannon before being blasted off once more, hitting Rudania right in the back. The machine wailed in pain, doing something unexpected. It lifted its hammer like tail up and tried bashing Link with it. The hero barely dodged the enormous hammer as it destroyed the cannon. The impact sent the poor boy flying.

Link ended up almost falling right into a lava pit, but was able to grab onto a ledge just in time. The tremors from the hammer almost made him slip but Link held on tight and pulled himself to safety. His guardian armor getting royally burned to a crispy black.

Rudania, assuming it hit its target, fled into the fiery volcano to rest. Link was still trying to recover from the near death experience when Yunobo showed back up.  
"Oh Goro! I saw what happened, are you ok?!" Link waved the concurred Goron off.

"Yeah yeah, just startled me that's all… no good getting all the way out here just to take a lava bath." He tried to laugh off his close call, though his heart was still pounding. Yunobo just twiddled his thumbs some more and nodded.

"We should start heading up then, Rudania just entered the volcano so it's going to be really damn hot when you go in." Link had restocked in fireproof elixirs before heading out. Hopefully it didn't take him too long before the stock ran out. He could only buy so many.   
They ran up to the top of the volcano, it was pretty brutal, what with the dodging lava and such but they made it. 

Both of them looked into the Volcano. Vah Rudania laying in the center unmoving.   
"Oh goro, you sure you're ready to go in there? Looks pretty hot even for me."

"Gotta, this is our one chance to calm Rudania for good." Link really didn't want to go into Rudania at the moment. Having to save the beast in a literal Volcano just spelled out doom. But he had to, everyone counted on him to save the day. Zelda, Mipha, the old King, Astor….. 

A light blush painted Link's face at the thought of the man. The quicker he finished this the quicker he could return to his…. Friend. The thought of seeing Astor again genuinely smiling, laughing at his stupid jokes, and hopfully one day being able to give the Mage a quick smooch was enough for Link to jump.

Yunobo didn't even see it coming, as Link jumped into the Volcano. Pulling out his sailcloth to make sure he landed safely on the beast. 

Vah Rudania screeched one more time before the hero entered. Warning him of the hell that awaited him.  
************

Astor could feel it.   
The dried malice on his skin burned worse than the heat outside. He was pacing around the inn, trying his best not to scratch it. It was pure agony waiting for the hero to return. His only friend was off to face the horrors he'd created so long ago.

Friend….Didn't feel right on the tongue anymore though.   
"As much as I hate to admit it, of course he's my friend. What else could he be." Astor began to fight the voices in his head.

"Well the next step would be best friend, but that doesn't feel right either...."  
Astor flexed his bad arm with his prosthetic on, trying to work out his arm while in thought. If it wasn't a best friend then what was it? Flashes of a very lewd Link danced around his head. He knew very well what the next step was but couldn't admit it. Such dirty thoughts didn’t befit a best friend.

"That's not right, Link is just a friend. A bodyguard meant to protect me while hiding from this cruel world." But that was no longer the case. Astor knew in his heart that it was no longer the case. It was an excuse to travel with a pretty boy who so happened to be the fated Hero of Hyrule. 

A hero who will stop at nothing to save the day. A hero who will never skimp out on a meal, even if it was Astor's horrible cooking. A.. a hero who would do anything to protect… Astor, even if it meant destroying their demons alone. 

Astor slowly stood up in realization. He, no it couldn't be. Astor finally realized that he loved Link. More than just a friend.

His face heated up, tears falling down his one eye. He'd never understood what others meant when talking about love. Chalking it up to over exaggerated bullshit.  
But now he finally understood. 

He didn't notice it until now. The accidental flirting, the time he protected Link from the Lynal when he could have just ran, and his heart fluttering every time he looked at Link.  
That was love, wasn't it? And he was too blind to see it until now.

Astor worked up into hysterical crying, gathering the attention of anyone nearby. The emotions were just too much for the seer to handle. Such raw emotions were alien to a cold man such as himself. He'd never felt anything like it before and it was terrifying.

"Oh goro! You okay little dude?! you seem upset!"   
It took a few minutes, but Astor calmed down enough to answer.

"Y-yes I'm fine, just… in love that's all."  
The moment Astor saw the hero again he would confess it as soon as possible. He always hated it when he saw someone tip-toe around such a thing, only for it to be too late.

Astor prayed that he wasn't too late.

***********

The inside of Rudania was extremely dark, very unexpected for Link. Just as last time, a much more gruff voice greeted him.

"Hey little dude! Long time no see! Better late than never I guess!" The person was overwhelmly friendly for someone trapped for 100 years. Link assumed it was Daruk, champion of the Goron.

Just as Mipha did, Daruk instructed him to find the main terminal and update his map, then find the others to activate the control panel. Easy enough right?

Link hated the dark, but with some fire manipulation was able to get to the main terminal. What creeped Link out the most about the dark room was the glowing eyes. It seemed Rudania had the same gunk issue as Ruta, malice eyes and mouths staring at him as he tried navigating through the dark.

He tested out the new map to find he could move Rudania sideways, that could be useful. As for the beast itself, it was much smaller than Ruta and much easier to navigate. 

There weren't that many enemies either, the heat being too much for anything organic or anything sane to function properly. Sure there were one or two things but they seemed to spin out of control, overheating.  
As Link got deeper, the heat started to get to him as well. His elixir supplies quickly dwindled down the longer he stayed. He’d have to work fast if he wanted to remain uncooked

Daruk praised him every time he found a terminal, pushing Link to continue until he found the last one on top of Rudania's spine.

"Good job little guy! Now all you have to do is turn the control panel on and defeat Fireblight Ganon!" Unlike Mipha, Daruak had warned Link ahead of time of the monster that landed in waiting. That it had somehow stolen his protection ability and to watch out for it. Link was ready, he'd already made it this far and the sooner he finished the sooner he could get out of this heat trap. Link had decided he hated the heat and never wished to return to death mountain after this.

He put his slate on the control panel and activated it.   
Just like last time, something awful came out of the control panel and formed what could only be described as Fireblight ganon. Unlike Waterblight, this one was much more muscular and wielded a flaming sword instead. It also didn't mind teleporting, as it turned into a blue mass of sheikah technology to move around the arena faster.

"Go on little dude! I know you can do this!" Link pulled out his Lynal Sword, ready to attack when it got to close. The beast reformed near Link to take a swing, only for the hero to dodge out of the way. Rudania's back was a narrow but very open area, Link would have to be very careful not to fall off. 

Link didn't see the small fireballs coming, they singed his back and around him. It hurt like hell, but he's been hit harder.

The hero rose up with his bow, intent on hitting the beast in the eye. But Fireblight was just just a little faster, using its sword to slash Link across the abdomen. Blood splattered everywhere as Link was thrown to the other side, almost going overboard. The gash was huge and put Link on a time limit if he didnt fix it soon.

Getting up once more, ignoring the hot sting of the wound, Link pulled his bow and fired an arrow. He landed the arrow near the beast's eye. Not enough as it seemed to not even flinch. Link tried again, backing up as it got closer. The beast swung at him, burning his skin and slicing his flesh. Again and again as he was quickly losing blood. His eyesight gets blurrier by the second. It was painful and Link wished he could stop, but knew he couldn't, not until he had an opening.

Finally one arrow hit its mark, stunning Fireblight momentarily. It was enough time for Link to pull out a few hearty radishes and eat them. His skin slowly patching itself up, but it did the trick as Link stopped gushing out blood everywhere. Fireblight recovered, getting ready to swing its sword when Link pulled out a different kind of arrow. Ice Arrows.

The beast wailed in pain as Link relentlessly loaded arrows into it's disgusting, bubbling body. There was that determined Look in Link's eyes again. Merciless and feral, Link wouldn't stop until he saw the thing drop dead. 

Fireblight finally stopped Link by pulling out that shield the hero was warned about. Blocking anymore attacks. Suddenly a force of wind pulled Link closer to the beast. It was strong and hot, it was planning on a big attack. The hero did not want to see what that attack was, he had to think fast. Yunobo and Daruk had talked about how the protection was impenetrable by normal means. No weapon could get past it…. But what if Link used one of the sheikah runes on his slate. Link looked around the arena. There wasn't any metal object for magnesis nor anything for stasis. He would have to throw a bomb inside.

It was his best bet, as Link summoned a bomb and threw it. Remotely exploding it when inside the shield. It surprisingly worked, as Fireblight took the full blast and went down. Link rushed the beast before it could get up. Icky purple goo gushed everywhere, as the beast lifted itself back up. The red locks covering it's back glowing redder and redder. It was getting ready for another big attack and Link didn't see. 

The hero was too busy trying to get a few extra hits in when all of a sudden, Fireblight swung its head down, flames protruding out of its head. It struck Link and hard, slamming the hero down into the ground with a single hit. The hero was sure he heard a few ribs crack from the impact. It left him writhing in pain as Fireblight levitated higher, ready to finish the hero.  
He couldn't move, he was in too much pain and would have no time to drag himself away. Tears pricked the hero's eyes, evaporating due to the heat. This is how he was going to die again, being bested the same way the other champions had.

"I'm..sorry Zelda..please….forgive me." He thought about everyone counting on him, he thought about how upset Astor would be to learn his bodyguard went up and died. He promised to return, to return and enjoy that nice hot spring Astor talked about. It was in those dying moments when Link realised how much he loved the man. Sure he had sneaking suspicions earlier but this just confirmed it. He was going to see Astor again, no matter what.

Then, Fireblight made a horrible mistake. It put its shield up and began sucking in the air around it. Link saw his chance at surviving. With what little strength Link had left, he summoned a bomb and released it. Allowing it to get swallowed up and explode right in the things horrific face. Blowing the guardian parts to smithereens as it screeched in pain. It was enough, as the thing fell off of Rudania's back and into the lava below. Even beings of malice couldn't stand the heat either.

A rush of air kicked into Link, as Mipha's grace finally kicked in to repair his broken body. He didn't know what took it so long, but was grateful for the support. the hero groaned at the weird feeling of bones rearranging and skin healing over. He layed like that for a few minutes before remembering his task at hand.  
Slowly getting up and putting the slate into the control panel once more. His body still hurt like hell, but it was better than laying dead. The Goddess had graced him this time.

Out of nowhere, a giant hand slapped him hard in the back, pushing Link right into the control panel. It was no other than Daruk, his spirit.

"Long time no see Link! Surprised you won that one but expect nothing less!" The burly Goron was all smiles and glee. Link didn't feel the same, still resenting himself for letting everyone just die. Daruk could see it on the little Hylian's face. He landed down a bit to get closer to Link.

"Hey don't sweat it kid, we all put up a good fight… that calamity freak just got the better of us."  
Link still wasn't convinced, he felt like he should apologize or something. After all it was his mission to save everyone but instead he had taken a 100 year nap.

"Say, I got something for ya brother. It's no use to me now that I'm a ghost, but hopefully you'll find use for it!" Daruk gave a huge grin, pumping his fist in the air. "That's right! It's Daruk's protection brother!"

Before Link could react, a spirit order was slapped into his chest unceremoniously. Then Daruk dropped the facade, the next bit being a little more serious.

"Please brother, promise me you'll use it to protect yourself and others with this. When push comes to shove never forget that I'm there to protect you."  
The waterworks started up again, as Link felt a horrible ping in his heart from those words. "To protect others" Link would make sure he would use it to its full extent. Testing the new power out by punching his hands together. A red orb surrounded him, the same as the Blight and Yunobo had…. Link sniffled, grateful for the gift.

"Well brother, I must go. Need to get old Rudania in position so we can beat down Ganon once and for all!" Daruk's cheery demeanor returned, as Link felt himself about to be transported away. Before he let that happen, Link ran up to Daruk and gave him a big hug. The hero was gonna miss the big guy, even if he only had one memory of the Goron. Daruk returned the hug until Link finally left.

It was nice to see his old buddy again, even if it was for the last time. For now, they had some pig to roast.  
******

Word spreads fast around Goron city, many Gorons stating they saw Rudania climbing out of the volcano. Only this time instead of going on a rampage. It locked itself into place and opened its face like a flower. It revealed a large red laser pointed at the castle. Yunobo quickly rolled down the mountain screaming about meeting the great Daruk himself and that he saw the champion on top of Rudania's back.

Astor quickly caught news of this, having a sneaking suspicion that Link once again succeeded. Maybe even a good idea of where to find the hero, Astor quickly packed up and out of the inn. He needed to greet Link himself, he needed to tell the boy of his revelation. He needed to-

Astor stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the beaten up Link in front of Goron city. His armor scorched black and the poor man looked like he just went through literal Hell. Astor's heart aches at the sight.

Link spots the mage, he looked worried for him. Staring at Astor in a new light, Link saw past the man's disfigured face and only saw someone so beautiful. Link could only imagine how handsome Astor was before whatever accident took half his face away. Astor ran up to the hero to hold him, to check him over and make sure he was okay.

Link couldn't hold back any longer. He would make sure to protect Astor at all costs. He would go through that hell again if it meant being able to see Assy again. If the man hated him for this then so be it, may as well get a good one in while he still could.

Without thinking, Link grabbed Astor's good side and leaned in for a kiss right on the lips. It rightly shocked the mage out of whatever he was trying to say. Link's warm soft lips were a sharp contrast to Astor's bitten cold ones. Before Astor could really understand what was happening, Link leaned away, breaking the kiss.

It was an all too sudden happy accident. Neither realized it was what the other wanted all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time boys and girls! They finally Kissed!!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo take a quick detour into the Lost woods, looking for the Master Sword. Astor trys confessing while the little demons of the forest laugh and giggle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. We both hit a writer's block and just yesterday I was able to bust down and get a lot written. Do not worry! I'll make sure to finish this no matter how long it takes.

Kassy bashed her head into the wooden column of the stable as Scout went off to talk to some Yiga scouts. Everything had been awful right down to their "mid day nap." Not only did they once again let that bastard Astor get away, but they also didn't find those needed parts for the ancient weapons. Scout wasn't helpful at all, given that Kassy constantly had the Yiga watching her every move. Stopping her from giving chase to that Seer as they needed to do a stupid wellbeing check up every 5 hours. The joy's of working with the leaders son.

Seriously, when will that doofus of a leader let his son go free and just kill a man or two? He was hardly competent. Speaking of which, Scout finally returned in his travelers outfit.

"Father asks us to return to the hideout. Says it's about time we regroup and plan out a better strategy." Oh how their leader was a moron.

"Oh really? Even though we got them stuck on a mountain, waiting for their return down. Your father still wants us to return?" Kassy would have some choice words for their leader if that was the case. Unfortunately it was and she knew it. Deciding to bash her head into the wooden block one more time as Scout responded, "Father's orders."

Kassy grumbled as she looked up at Death Mountain. The giant Lizard that always sat on top had recently turned blue. All her life it glowed red, so it was weird to see it so calm. But by Scout's word, that meant the hero has awakened and is currently working to undo Ganon's work.

She had never cared about this Ganon shit. That was a lie, she cared enough to hunt down it's second in command even if it was the death of her. All those stories about her great grandparents' sacrifice and the millions that went down with them. It made Kassy's blood boil in rage. How could a hylian turn on his own? Only the foulest she thought. That monster of a man was behind most of the death and destruction, and she'll save the world her own way by making sure that seer was dead.

Kassy looked back at Scout, who stood like a lost puppy while some gerudo travelers eyed him down.   
"Fine, let's go back home and see what your dad wants. Bet we're late for dinner anyways." She scoffed while walking off, Scout trailing right behind. 

They would have to be careful heading back. With news of the Divine beasts stopping their 100 year rampage came travelers who thought they could fight off the horrors of the world. That meant more eyes looking for Yiga clan members for easy picking. That means Scout being in danger and by extension Kassy.   
And if she was caught working with the Yiga, then she would become an outlaw, always having wannabe heros on her back. Kassy didn't need more things to drag her down and away from her goals.

She would make sure of it.  
*******

The sun rose over the horizon, ash and smoke smothering the light. Astor couldn't stop thinking about that kiss from earlier. Sitting in an inn waiting for Link to return from the giant Sheikah Tower not too far off.   
After saving Goron city from Rudania's wrath and taking a well-deserved bath, the duo headed back down towards the Lost Woods. The entire time Astor just couldn't get the feeling of Link's lips on his. He honestly didn't even notice they left the mountains until Link left him at the inn. Hood up and sitting on one of the many beds. Kids ran around playing and travellers staying in groups chatting. Thankfully, no one had taken notice of the strange man madly blushing.  
Everything was so relaxed and lively. No one dying or getting attacked.

He really needed to confess to Link about his feelings, now very sure the hero felt the same. Why else would he have just casually leaned in and smooched him? While trapped in his thoughts, Astor failed to notice the Hero's return. Speak of the devil…

"Assy! I'm back!" Link stood in one of the entrances. Still in his scorched guardian armor, deeming it still useful. His ponytail was loose with a twig sticking out of his blond hair. And that beaming smile…..goddesses Astor immediately forgot what he was thinking about.

"Um, Assy? Reality to Assy, Reality to-" Link had gotten closer and waved his hand in front of the seer, trying to get his attention. It worked as Astor snapped back from an increasingly lewd daydream. Now was a good time to confess.

"Oh um I-I-..... Did you finish that meaningless task you left me for?" Astor mentally kicked himself for that. Increasingly realizing why people take so long to confess such feelings. So many things could go wrong and he didn't know if he could handle rejection. Imaginary scenarios of Link being disgusted in him plaguing his mind just as much as the good ones. 

"Yep! Actually…." Link rubbed the back of his head, unsure if he should voice his concern. "How do you feel about taking a quick detour into the Lost Woods? There's actually something I wanted to look for and I think it's in there." Link was really nervous about the preposition, not knowing how Astor would feel about the extra walking. He certainly didn't feel like hearing the man complain more than necessary. Astor just blankly stared at him. His mind pulling a bit of a blank again. Link nudged him a bit. 

“Hey man, you good?” Astor snapped out of it again and nodded.   
“I-I’m fine, I’m fine thanks... So what were you saying about the Lost Woods?”

Link just shook his head in worry. Afraid that if Assy continued having his head in the clouds, they would get into serious trouble soon.

The hero sat there for a whole hour trying to explain what the Master sword was and why he needed to find it. The entire time Astor actually played stupid on purpose. It wasn't until Link got incredibly fed up that the Mage agreed to help the hero look for it. Even if he wanted nothing to do with the sword.  
*********

The two men walked for the rest of the day before finally arriving at the entrance to the Lost Woods. Wisps of mist reached out from the woods. Astor looked on and fidgeted nervously. He hadn’t been in those woods for many decades and the odds were high that the deity of the woods would recognize him. The mage shifted on his feet and turned to Link.   
“You do realize that this won’t just be a straight walk to this sword right?” He feigned ignorance on the subject of the Master Sword. 

“Yeah of course. Most forests require some bobbing and weaving dummy. It’ll be easy trust me.” Link sauntered up to the entrance without a care in the world. Astor rolled his eye and shouldered his bag of supplies before following the man in. Within minutes they were engulfed in mist. Link could barely see more than ten feet in front of him. Maybe Astor was right about this not being easy. As they ventured deeper, the mist became fog and it was damn near impossible to see. Link even tried looking at his hand, to no avail.

“Hey Assy, what’s the deal with the fog? You’re the nerd here.” He called over his shoulder, not seeing a root near his foot. The young man tripped and landed hard on his chest. Astor quickly rushing over to check on him.

“Shit are you alright?” He brushed the leaves off of Link’s head and clothes before helping him up. Link was surprised at how empathetic the otherwise hostile mage was being. He smiled a bit and even considered kissing him once more, but decided he didn’t want Astor fainting on him. Or running off in this thick fog alone, in anger. Link felt something bore into his back, watching their every move.

“I-I’m fine man. So this fog and these weird trees… I feel like we’re being watched.” It was as if the fog had eyes, unnerving and hostile. Link glanced around to look for anything suspicious, but found nothing, strange. Astor agrees and guides Link along a small path, making sure to stay close in case they were being watched by monsters or worse… Astor didn't like the idea of being surprised attacked in the Lost Woods. They better get a move on. Astor knew these woods well enough to know how they work. Spending years cooped up in a small house with the same five books about mythology does that. It also helped that he had been through these woods before.

“Look, this is a magical forest. We must follow a certain path if we don’t want the fog to take us. I just might know a way through though. Come, follow me.” Link cocked his head in confusion as he hurried, trying to keep up.

“How do you know? Hey, Astor, wait up!” Astor ignored the question and looked back at Link. Seeing the man just made the Seer flush.

“I- I don’t wish to linger here any longer, let’s go.” They continued a little ways off the path in front of a mysteriously lit fire stand. Astor picked up a torch laying next to it, lit it, and handed it to Link. The hero was curious at what the man was up to. He didn't even question the lit fire stand in the middle of the forest.

"I had read somewhere that following the embers of the flame will guide us through this forest." Astor hadn't, that was never stated in any books, but Link didn't need to know the real reason behind it. The Hero watched the embers blow forward. It was like some force commanded the embers to blow a certain way. It was amazing.

"Thanks Assy, didn't know what I would do without ya." Without thinking, Link grabbed Astor's good hand and guided the seer alongside him.   
Astor flushed even harder at the contact. That's when he remembered about confessing.  
"Um Link, there's something I wanted to tell you…" Link looked back in acknowledgement for a quick second before returning to the task at hand. Saying a quick "Go on." 

"Well it's about that k-k-" Astor was cut off when Link suddenly stopped. Eyes Locked on something Astor couldn't see from the fog. 

"You see that right?" Link's tone was dead serious. Astor tried looking around to see what the hero was talking about but saw nothing.

"I'm sorry to say but…. What am I looking for?" He honestly tried really hard to look for anything. But only saw the thick tree line and fog. Astor looked back at Link with a concerned look on his face. The poor man must be coming down with a sickness or just seeing things. 

“Are you alright? All that heat from the volcano hasn’t fried your mind has it?” He nudged Link’s shoulder. The hero snapping out of his slight daze.   
“Um, nah I’m fine man. I’m not sure if you need glasses or not Assy. He was right there.” He points to a large log covered in moss, before shrugging and walking along. Astor followed after him, a look of concern etched onto his mangled face. He would have to give Link a look over when they get back to the inn. 

As they walked through the fog in silence, Astor would often quietly point out the fire stands to Link. Another key clue in navigating through the dense forest.  
“Follow those Link, it’s the only safe way out of this horrid place.” The entire time Link was grateful for the help. He was sure he would've gotten lost fast if it wasn't for Assy's help.

After a hefty walk that felt like they were going in circles, the fog finally cleared into a much cherrier environment. It looked as if something or someone lived there as different leaves and berries hung around like decorations. Both men crossed through a large hollowed log. Link's face lit up in slight recognition at the sight before them. Right there smack dab in the middle of a clearing was a sword. Strange patterned rocks encircling it as if sealing the blade. 

The sword was beautiful, Astor had stopped in his tracks to just gawk at just how beautiful it was. Even after 100+ years, it still stood strong. The blade part did look very damaged and rusty though. Link continued forward, dousing the torch as they no longer needed it, also interested in the sword. He wondered if it was the real deal, the sword that seals the darkness just as everyone had said. Zelda, the old man, and even the leaders for the Goron and Zora had all spoken about it. That a legendary hero had once wielded the sword 100 years ago. If that was the case, It was his for the taking, it was meant to be his if what the old man back on the plateau told him was true. Link was that Hero after all. Astor stayed behind, weary of the sword's power.

"Link…. Is this the sword you were talking about earlier?" The hero only turned and nodded yes, a stone cold look plastered his face. He was determined to take back what was his, an emotion Astor rarely saw outside of battle. 

Everything about this freaked Astor out. Ever since they entered these damned woods Link wasn't acting like himself. Seeing things not there and having that awful look on his pretty face. All of it made Astor anxious. Something bad was bound to happen.

Without a second thought, Link grabbed the sword. Something really bad did happen, as the man suddenly fell to his knees. Astor rushed in to catch the man, straining his bad side to support the others' weight. He didn't care at the moment, too caught up in supporting his… his…..  
"LINK! LINK TALK TO ME!"   
The mage smacked the others' strained face. Unresponsive, Astor was about to shake him off, tears threatening to spill. He should have realized Link was too weak to pull that damned sword. or whatever was happening to him was hurting his lover! Something wasn't right!  
"Oh Goddesses above, LINK!"

"Do not worry seer, the hero is merely remembering a time long past." Frightened at the booming voice, Astor wiped around looking for its owner, his topaz eye filled with rage. He was about to curse out this booming voice for hurting his hero only to be interrupted by a cacophony of giggles. All of a sudden, little demonic tree creatures appeared just beyond his vision. Right there but at the same time not there at all.

"Who… who said that?!"  
"It was I, the great Deku tree." Astor looked up at the giant tree. The once a normal yet oddly huge tree now sprouted a face. How did he not notice it before?The little demons got closer as Astor started to hyperventilate. His legs gave out and Astor fell onto his mangled side. They tried to comfort him, but he just swatted them away in panic, backing up and away from the slumped Link.  
"Get… Get away! What do you want!"

"Do not fret seer, the hero is fine and so are you…. To an extent." The Deku tree's branches moved to the sound of its booming voice.  
The little demons surrounding Astor giggled and only got closer. One somehow even appearing from under his hood. Astor stifled a scream. A few more hopped into his lap and the mage attempted to bat them away.

"Seer here! Looky here!"

"No Seer will be my friend!"

"Evil Seer man good now right?"

The little wooden demons all argued, trying to get Astor's attention. It would have been cute if he wasn't royally freaked out.  
"How do you know w-who I am?"

The giant tree chuckled, "I have been around for many years Seer. I've seen countless heros before this one and I will see many more after. You end up seeing things." The talking tree would have said more, if Link didn't come back to life at that moment. He looked… different though, Something was off, and Astor was afraid to find out if it was a good or bad thing. Link was shaking, trying to keep his emotions in after hearing Zelda plea for him to hurry in a memory. The fire and destruction that had surrounded her. The mangled screaming, the black smoke, and an awful figure of a man holding some weird orb. Oh goddesses, keep it together Link.

"Ah Link, it's good to see you again." The Deku tree greated. "It seems you have heard of Zelda's plea. But…. That face says you do not recognize me…" the little demons backed off of Astor, now more interested in the hero. The Deku Tree Introduced himself to Link, and explained that the sword in front of them was In fact the Master Sword. It confirmed a lot of suspicions like Link once wielding the holy blade and Zelda returning it to the pedestal after his “death”.   
Astor listened intently as it helped him piece together the timeline of events of why Link was still so alive and young. Sleeping for 100 years…. If only he had the same luxury.

"Do be warned, hero, if you attempt to take this sword back, it will be no easy task. If you are not strong enough it will be your downfall." Neither man was really enjoying how long and drawn the tree’s words were. Link was impatiently waiting for it to finish while Astor was mortified at what it was saying. The tree basically said that Master Sword gave no mercy when it came to being wielded. If Link tried pulling it without the strength to withstand it, he would die…

Once the Deku Tree finished, Astor spoke up, intent on being heard,"Link whatever you do, don't pull that fucking sword! You are going to kill yourself!"  
"Quite Seer! You have no say in what the hero chooses to do!" The trees' booming voice shook the ground. Many of the wooden demons toppled over, the one in Astor's hood fell out and into his arms. The Seer didn't even realize he was holding it now. He was angry, and he was gonna sit by and watch his crush risk killing himself over a sword. 

The tree continued,"Like it or not, It is Link's fate to wield this sword and destroy Ganon from within the castle. I will not have you here trying to stop us." The Deku Tree calmed down some. Link was bewildered at how harsh the tree was to Astor. Sure he was a major ass at times but that was no reason to be so mean. Both of them had a point, and Link may just have a solution to the issue at hand. Once both parties calmed down, Link spoke up,  
"Assy is right, I should be a bit careful with this sword. I doubt it really trusts me after last time. The hero looked back at Astor, idiotic determination in his eyes. "But I didn't come all the way out here to be told no to what's rightly mine either. I'm going to at least attempt pulling the sword out. If anything happens Assy can just pull me away…. Right?"

Astor stammered A bit."Of course lo- Link!" He almost had a slip of the tongue. Now what not the time to get flustered at the idea of touching his crush. Link needed him. The little demon in Astor's arms took it as their cue to get down, not wanting to get in the way.  
The young man once again approached the legendary blade, a look of determination in his blue eyes.

He stood on the pedestal and wrapped his hands around the bound hilt. Link gritted his teeth and started to pull on the blade. Within moments, his strength was being sucked away. It was like a thousand needles getting stuck in his skin, rapidly draining the blood within. The hero gritted his teeth as his arms started to go numb. Each second seemed to weaken him and his legs started to feel heavy. What even was this thing doing to him? Pain was starting to shoot through his hands, as if electrifying him. He grunted and tried to change his stance a bit, but his legs would not budge. Link kept on pulling up. This thing was barely moving and he was starting to see black dots. He couldn’t just give up, not while Astor was watching! 

Astor in turn, looked on with a great deal of concern. It was clear that Link was struggling to pull the blade. He could physically see Link's life be drained away. His eyes slowly dulled as his beautiful baby face hollowed.   
“Alright! That's enough!”  
Astor used his remaining strength to pull Link away. Grabbing him by the torso and wrangling his hands off the hilt. It took a lot of effort but in the end, Link let go and toppled over the seer. Both men falling flat on their backs, Astor taking most of the impact.  
"Ow FUCK!" he had landed pretty hard on his bad side, pain shooting up his flank as he continued to lay on it. At least Link was safe now….

"Damn you seer! Why do you continue to defy fate like this!" The Deku tree's voice boomed over the forest, anger clear as day. The little demons scurried off to hide. Astor had enough of all this bullshit. He didn't want to hear it from the talking tree anymore, it had almost killed his only love! This thing was willing to let the hero die again all in the name of "proving oneself worthy" Bullshit! Well Astor has had enough, he looked up to the giant tree and glared at it.

"Well listen here you pile of rotten old wood! I just saved your fated hero from another untimely death!" Astor stated with his own booming voice. "I will not stand by as-as...." he started to choke up as he glanced at Link. "As you destroy the only thing that ever loved me!" 

Astor thought he was exaggerating when saying it. Unwilling to imagine such a perfect being like Link would ever love a monster like him.Too caught up in the moment to think straight, Astor Blurted out his true, visceral feelings. 

Link was still recovering from the trauma, his face slowly filling out once more. The Great Deku tree watched the man below cry his heart out.  
"Th-the one thing I could ever consider a friend an-and he's destined to fight Ganon…" Astor held Link's head in his lap, looking over his beautiful features. Tears streaked Astor's mangled face, a brutal reminder of his actions 100 years ago.

"I will not allow him to run off and get killed by the gods promised to protect him."   
Astor looked back up, giving his own determined look, his eye filled with a dark anger.  
"I will do everything in my power to protect him! Even if it means fighting the likes of you!" The seer accusingly pointed at the tree. After that, all was quiet, as Astor held Link's unconscious head and the Great deku tree watched in silence. At some point the little demons appeared from their hiding spots to crawl all over the two Hylians. Astor paid no mind, too tired to care or bother.

After a while, Link slowly opened his baby blue eyes, full of life once again. Astor was grateful for that, unsure if he could handle staring into dull eyes for the rest of his unnatural life.  
"Hey… Assy.. how long was I out for?" Astor gave a genuine smile, happy to see his friend safe.

"Far too long my friend."

Link swiftly sat up, stretching and making sure nothing was wrong. Once he was sure of that, he stood up to pat himself down, making sure to help Astor up as well. The Great Deku tree sat there in contempt. Seeing the seer get so worked up over someone was new. Just 100 years ago that same man walked up to him to declare his hate for humanity, calling it nothing more than a waste that needed disposing of. Or something of that matter, it had been a one hundred years, long enough to forget such trivial things. Being a tree, he had more important things to concern himself with. Like sleeping or watching over the Korok.

The tree decided that maybe, just maybe, the seer was finally willing to change his ways for the better. It didn't know what brought upon this change, but was more than happy to help the man lead a better life. But first,  
"Seer, it has come to my attention that you are not the same person I've accused you of being. It seems my poor eyesight has finally caught up to me." Both men looked up at the tree with different reactions. Link's was neutral, ready to hear what it had to say. Astor's was annoyed, and wanted nothing more than to throw a shoe or somthing to get it to shut the fuck up.

"Forgive me on that, but there's still doubt clouding my mind. I wish for you to keep your promise. The promise to protect the hero on his journey with your life." Astor knew what was up. This damned tree was taking advantage of him. For that he should burn this damned forest down and knowing Link, the hero wouldn't stop him from trying. 

Then Astor thought about it. If he promised to stick by the hero and help him, he would have another reason to travel with his crush. Thus ending the worry of "looking for a new home" for good. And to top it off, maybe get on the good side of some otherwise hateful people, like that hag Impa. A wicked smile plastered on Astor's face at the thought of seeing her shocked yet very disapproving face. That settled it, for the first time in years, Astor was going to keep his word.

"Sure, I promise to protect the hero with my life." This would have been the moment they shook hands if the giant tree had any. It gave a deep, hearty laugh.  
"Oh oh! My boy you surprise me every minute." Link didn't understand what the inside joke was, not caught in the same loop. He just quizzically looked at the both of them, staying silent. The giant tree that apparently knew him must think he's pretty quiet anyways. Then, They all just sat there in uncomfortable silence. No more words needed to be said really, what else was there to do? Do a little dance trying to say goodbye? Astor interrupted the silence by clapping his hands, deciding it was time to get out of there.

"Now with that said and done." Astor grabbed Link by the hands. " I think we've overstayed our visit Link, we should leave. Hyrule won't save itself afterall!" He tried pulling Link away, ready to get out of these damned cursed woods as quick as possible. It's been an emotional rollercoaster here and sufficationing. These damn woods felt sufficationing.  
"Oh um! Assy wait- what?!"

"Oh Oh, well then…." If there was one thing the Great deku tree wasn't good at, it was small talk.  
"I wish the best of luck to you young hero! The eyes of the forest shall watch over you…. And Seer."  
Astor looked back, regretting it immediately. He should have just ignored the talking tree. It would have been easier.

"That goes the same for you boy. If you attempt to harm or stop the hero. I will know…" Astor didn't know what to make of the threat. He certainly did not want to imagine what a giant talking tree would try to do if he broke his promise.

*******

The walk back to the inn outside the Lost Woods was a bit more pleasant. As it seemed the fog had cleared up, it must have been a blessing from the Great Deku Tree. Link had a few questions about what happened back there though. The Great Deku Tree seemed really hostile to Astor and when he thought about it, Impa had been so as well. They had treated him as if they knew him from a long time ago. But to be hostile…. That means he's done something bad right?  
Link glanced over at Astor, the man was too focused on finding an exit. 

Maybe it was related to whatever accident caused the man's current disfigurement. It saddened Link a bit, wondering what Astor must have looked like before then. How much more beautiful he must have been in his prime.

"Hey Assy…. Did you happen to know the Great Deku Tree before we met?" Something flashed in Astor's eye. He pretended he had no idea why Link would ask such a question.

"N-no, not that I can remember at least." It was clearly a lie, but Link didn't want to push it too far yet. Clearly whatever Astor did to upset them, he regrets. Link decided to let the Seer confess such a thing on his own terms, but had one more question.

"Oh, then why did he keep calling you a seer?" Link vaguely remembers Impa talking about a seer. Something about a betrayal or causing destruction. It had been a minute so he didn't quite remember.

"Um, Seers are people who can read the night sky and determine the fate of others. They can see things well before they happen. It used to be my passion way back then. I don’t keep up with the trade anymore." Astor didn't want to give out too much information about himself. On the rare chance Link would remember. That was the last thing he wanted. Link remembering just how bad of a person he once was. If he did, there would be no chance for Astor to admit how much he loved the fool. That said,  
"Link, I have something I wish to speak about."

The hero looked up at the taller man. Eyes full and pure, as if he hadn't lost everything in a war and put to sleep for 100 years. It made the confession all the more difficult.

"I… care about you. Like not as a friend but as a-"  
"Best friend?" Astor felt unsure on how to answer that. All his courage being drained out of his being. He sighed,  
"Yes, as a best friend." He had once again lost his chance.   
Both men stayed silent for the rest of the trip. As soon as they got out of the woods, Astor sharply inhaled the fresh smell of actual grass and not whatever was inside those cursed woods. They were out of the range of those demonic imps hopefully, and were away from the inn. 

Astor glanced at Link once more. The man walked on ahead to get back to the inn before nightfall. Seemed they spent more time in the Lost woods then they realized, as the sun was surely setting for the night.  
Now would be a good time to confess. He may not get another chance. Astor bit his lip and gently grabbed Link’s arm.  
“Er, I love you as a best friend Link. But…" Astor stared into those lovely blue eyes. If he could, Astor would pick that man up and give him the sweetest kisses. Hold him and never let go. The image of Link and him, locked together, Link showing him the same amount of love he so desperately desires. It was enough for Astor to finally finish his sentence.

"I also love you. I-I love you more than anyone I’ve ever known. It’s been agony since you kissed me on Death Mountain. You’ve been a companion for so long now-a-and…” He trailed off, his fingers fidgeting with his robe. Had he gone too fast? Did he upset Link? The Seer's ear drooped as he shifted his weight a bit, immediately regretting his actions. He was terrified to meet Link’s eyes, not wanting to see the anger and disgust on his face. Such a hideous, foul creature proposing his love to the legendary hero of the Goddess.

Link simply stared at Astor in shock. This grouchy, filthy, beautiful man had just admitted to loving him. The young hero could barely believe his pointed ears. After all this time, he wasn't quite sure if Astor wanted to kiss him or kill him, he finally had an answer. He hadn't been sure if Astor even remotely felt the same. Being too busy trying to save Hyrule to even think about himself, a gush of feelings filled the hero's heart at once. It was overwhelming.

“A-Astor… I didn’t know you felt this way about us. I don’t know what to say….”  
Astor cringed. He had royally fucked up. Link was absolutely going to kill him for this. What was he thinking? The mage braced himself for the insults and outrage. He screwed his eye shut and cowardly looked away. Suddenly, a hand reached up and grabbed his chin. He was forced to turn and stare right at Link. Astor’s heart stopped and he whimpered. Yet there was no anger or disgust in those azure pools, only joy and adoration. The young hero got on his tiptoes and pulled Astor towards him. The dumbfounded seer only then realized what was going on.

He was being kissed… again. But this time, it was longer, and more passionate. Link leaned in deeper, licking the seer's lips to silently ask for permission. With a shaky breath, Astor opened up just a tad, letting the hero kiss deeper. Not knowing where to put his hands, Astor settled for Link's hips. His head was swimming with such contact. Truly, it was something the seer could never imagine feeling. Even on his loneliest nights, his vivid imagination could never compare to the real deal.

It felt like an eternity yet all too quick when Link finally pulled away. The only thing left of the kiss was the saliva on Link's lips. Astor's face was extremely hot, afraid he might actually pass out. Link just pulled his hair back as if nothing even happened.

"Assy, I love you too." With those words Link went back in for another kiss, Astor greedily accepting. The seer couldn't believe it, the hero was also in love? 

Link took a great deal making sure not to touch Astor's scarred side, worried it would hurt the man and ruin the mood. As both men stood silent, enjoying the passionate kissing, neither noticed just how dark it was getting. Too caught up in making the other feel cherished and loved. Link made sure to kiss everywhere but Astor's bad side. Even going so far as to kiss and lick at his neck. The seer seemed to like that the most, his ear twitching slightly.  
Astor purred into his Link’s ear and kissed his collarbone delicately.

Finally, Link pulled away, panting and definitely feeling the heat on his own face."Hehehe, so does that make us boyfriends now or...?" Astor couldn't verbalize just how overwhelmed he felt at the moment. 

He had never in his unnatural life had someone show him true affect. Not from his own family…not from his allies...not even from himself. Astor didn't realize just how touch starved he was until now. The years of self isolation didn't help either. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything, so instead Astor just… cried.  
The day had been a mess of emotions from the beginning. From trying to confess to almost watching his love die. The seer duge his head into the hero’s broad chest, once again crying his normally cold heart out. Little did he know Link was doing the same for similar reasons. 

He had felt like an outcast before meeting Astor. Surviving a war and living in a world 100 years later. Sure he had Impa, but she could only help so much in her old age. It only served to remind Link that everyone he'd cared about was dead, old, or trapped fighting an ancient demon. Astor had been the only one to see past the Hero title or champion's little savior. Maybe it was just because Astor has been the only person to stick with Link for so long talking, but the hero didn't care. 

They stood there for a little longer, crying and comforting each other. Both men finally ceased their crying, Assy talking a little longer. The hero gently rubbed his back and rocked him. Astor started to calm down finally and kissed him one last time.

Link noticed how late it had gotten, figuring it was best to just set up camp nearby. Not wanting to travel during the night trying to get back to the inn.

"Come on Assy, let's set up a tent and rest here for the night. It would be too risky to travel back to the inn at this point." Link sniffled a bit, remembering Astor had said something about being able to read the night sky. "Maybe we can sit together and you can show me what the stars mean." 

The seer simply nodded, still unable to form any words. As both men set up the tent and settled in for the night, Astor thought about their relationship and how it turned for the better. 

Laying on the ground, side by side, and facing the stars, Astor easily picked out a few. "That one is Vega, one of the brightest stars out there. And that one is Altair, Also known as the soaring star." Astor was happy to share his vast knowledge with his… boyfriend. That term felt so alien on Astor's tongue, but that's what Link was now. Not his companion nor his best friend. Link was his boyfriend now. Someone to kiss and love, to go on dates and cuddle with, to cherish and protect.

That promise earlier to the giant tree was made all the more easier honestly.

At some point Link had taken the seer's hand in his own, Fast asleep. Astor had only noticed halfway through his explanation on the different phases of the moon. It seemed Link wasn't that good of a listener. Astor didn't mind though, knowing the poor man was also very tired after the whole sword fiasco.   
He was also exhausted, deciding now was a good time to get some shut-eye himself. Tomorrow was going to be a big day full of walking and on the current path they're taking, their next stop would be the Rito Village. Just like the Gorons, Astor found no reason to hide from the Rito. They don't live very long lives and in fact, their lifespans are shorter than an average Hylian. None of them would recognize Astor even if he tried.

With the comfort of that knowledge plus his first lover snuggled close by, Astor quickly fell into a deep sleep, not needing his plush boar this time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astor and Link journey to Rito villiage! Unfortunately is not as smooth of a road for either man.

The next day, both men had examined Link's map and planned out a path to Rito village. Err, as best as they could anyways. There was still a huge chunk of the map missing where Central Hyrule cut off and where the other left half of the map began. Luckily Astor had a decent enough memory to pin down a rough location of the village.

There was one issue though and it was Hyrule castle. They would have to walk past the malice infested castle. Astor had a few concerns, mainly having to see that beast Ganon encircling the castle. Watching their every move…

Having voiced these concerns, Link tried comforting his new boyfriend by promising to stand in between him and the castle. Letting Astor pull his hood up all the way up and hold Link's hand for comfort. They decided to pass from the back, as it had a less chance for rogue guardians and would be quicker. Astor didn’t want to have another mad dash away from a deadly machine. Getting antsy just thinking about it.  
Thus, the two packed up and set out for their long journey to Rito village. It would at least be a two-day trip even in the best conditions. 

As they passed by the inn from yesterday, Link wanted to stock up on some arrows. Leaving Astor to his own devices for five minutes as the hero bargained for a slightly better price.   
It was enough time for a little girl to run up to him and pull on his sleeve. 

"Hey mister! I saw you here yesterday morning!" The little girl looked to be one of the stable daughters as she held up a small drawing. "I thought you looked really cool and mysterious so I drew you!" The drawing was a crude image of Astor sitting at one of the beds. The Seer ended up looking down at the girl out of instinct, unable to hide his hideous face from her young curious eyes. He flushed in embarrassment, quickly realizing his mistake. The girl didn't seem to care though, she was in fact enamored by his weird looks.

"Wow! You're so much cooler up close! Can I touch? Can I touch it?" She jumped up trying to get closer to Astor's face, curious as all young kids are. As sweet as the little girl was, there was no way he was about to let some stranger touch his face. He winced a bit and pulled back.

Being a little more relaxed that the young girl wasn't upset, the seer replied,   
"Sorry kid, I wouldn’t even let the hero touch this." He motioned to his mangled features. Any contact would hurt, especially coming from someone so careless. The young girl pouted but understood.   
“Besides, that skin is quite sensitive and it hurts when touched. You understand that don’t you?” The little girl nodded.

“I know when I skin my knee it hurts to touch. It’s like that isn’t it mister?” Astor couldn’t help but smirk at the girl’s innocents. He sits down on a nearby barrel while looking over the picture she had drawn of him.   
“Indeed, a bit like that. Hmmm, you’re a skilled artist kid. Such skill could be quite useful. Keep it up and you might be able to make a living off of it.”

"Really? Thank you, mister! How about you keep it? Just to remind you of the great young artist before she became great!" The young girl took a proud stance. Happy to be recognized for such talents. Astor chuckles and gently places the picture in his bag, careful not to wrinkle it. Wouldn't want to ruin The Great Artist's first-ever work right? Being the young child she is, the girl got distracted by something in the distance and ran off before Astor could properly thank her. It took the seer a second to realize what had just happened. Being nice to a total stranger, since when did he mellow out so much?

Link finally returned with a new bundle of arrows to find Astor deep in thought. He spotted a nearby apple tree and picked one of the ripe red apples. Red and shiny apple in hand, Link walked up to the man and presented it in front of his face. Making sure the other saw it.

"Apple for your thoughts Assy?"  
Astor finally took notice,   
"Hum?! Oh, Link there you are." He takes the apple and examines it for any bruises. Once deeming it fit enough to eat enough, takes a large bite. Neither of them had really eaten so it was a good refreshment. "I was just lost in thought. No need to worry." Link nodded.

"Well if you're ready, we should be off again. Don't want to get caught in a monster den in the dark." Astor stood up, quickly finishing the apple.

"You’re right. I hope that merchant didn't give you too much trouble. The both of you were going back and forth for a while."

Link laughed, "Nah. Not as much as you do with all that complaining anyways." Both men knew it was a joke, still, the little quip stung a little. Which was once again strange as it had never really gotten to Astor like that before. Maybe he really was getting too soft, but a lot of things have been unusual as of late. Having a lover was one of them, so it was hard for Astor to know how to act or feel at the moment. Hopefully he’d get used to it. All these warm, fuzzy feelings were making his head hurt.  
****

Walking behind the castle was horrible. Astor had taken Links' advice and kept his hood up. Facing away from the castle as much as possible. It still didn't help with the horrible itching and stinging on his face. At least he didn't have to look at that horrid beast. As Link held Astor's hand and guided him across the many steep hills, the seer fidgeted with whatever was in his pockets. Some weird metal piece of old sheikha tech no doubt. It greatly helped Astor not scratch at his face off though. Scratching only served to make it worse.

"Link… how much longer till we get away from this goddess forsaken place?" Astor didn't mean for it to come out so weak, but he couldn't help it. 

"Not much longer Assy, just a few more hills to go." Link was periodically checking his slate, making sure they were going in the right direction. Link was pretty nervous himself and desperately wanted to get Astor as far away as possible. He could sense just how much distress the other was in. Those blasted hills were not making it any easier. 

As they walked, Astor couldn't help but think about that night 100 years ago. Ganon's betrayal and the guardians he was using to protect himself. He never saw it coming… thinking about it made the itching worse as Ganon roared from inside the castle. Shaking the earth below quite a bit.

The duo managed to clear another hill. Only to stop at the sight in front of them.  
It was a Hinox, a Blue one to be exact. Link had heard from a passerby that a blue Hinox is much stronger than the normal red ones. Luckily the beast was asleep for the moment. Laying its head underneath a large tree. The duo should tread carefully as to not disturb it. That was easy though, just a quick detour around without making a sound right?

It was not in fact, easy. As the two got closer, Astor managed to step on multiple twigs and branches. Cringing each time and on one occasion needing to be reminded with a harsh,"Shhhh" from Link. The man could not be any more clumsy. Astor had honestly tried staying quiet but being in great pain at the moment was not helping. They were about to pass the sleeping beast, being near its head. The awful smell of death was enough to make Astor gag. Suddenly Link had the urge to sneeze. 

Link cursed the Goddess as he prepared for what felt like a big one. It was like some other worldly being really wanted them to end up in a fight. Astor tried covering his boyfriend's mouth but it was no use. 

Link reeled back,"AGG AGG CHOO!!!!" The sneeze was loud and close enough to awaken the beast. Even though they were about to be in a world of trouble, Link couldn't lie, that was a damn good sneeze. The Hinox opened it's one eye and stared down Astor, finding him to be its first target. 

The seer wildly backed away in fright, tripping on a loose rock and landing on his back. Link jumped in front of them with a traveller’s sword. Running through multiple weapons throughout the journey, this small sword was the easiest thing in his arsenal to use at the moment. 

As the Hinox stood up, it grabbed and uprooted the tree it was sleeping under. The loud crunching of roots being ripped out of the ground was sicking. Both men knew what was up, Link screamed, "Duck!" And pounced on top of Astor to protect him. Rolling down a small hill as a large tree zoomed past their heads. Landing somewhere in the distance and exploding into a million pieces. The Hinox beat its chest like a wild animal before slowly walking up to the boyfriends. 

"Oh Goddess Link!" The hero was alerted by Astor’s cry and looked up just in time to see the Hinox going for another tree. "Move! Quickly!" Both men ended up jumping away in different directions as a tree landed right where they laid. Effectively separating them. All this extra strain and the cruel burning on his face was quickly depleting Astor's energy. 

Falling right on top of his backpack on something hard and sharp. It stung like a bitch as Astor sucked air through his teeth. The Hinox was more interested in Link now, as it tried stomping the hero into the ground. Luckily Link was fast and agile, being able to quickly get back on his feet and dodge the giant foot.

Given this moment of reprise, Astor shuffled through his bag looking for his own weapon. There had to be a spear or small knife in there somewhere! Link continued dodging and slashing at the blue Hinox's legs. It didn't seem to affect the creature so much as it slammed a giant fist down right next to Link, causing the hero to freeze up from the tremors. By the time he recovered, Link was slapped into a nearby tree damn near breaking it by the powerful impact. Ribs snapped and Link was unable to breathe anymore.

"LINK NO!" Astor kept frantically searching for anything. Screaming for his boyfriend, the Hinox took notice of the defenseless man, Setting its sights for an easy target. As it approached, Astor saw something glowing in the depths of his bag.

He didn't even know why he brought it, a spur of the moment. It was broken anyway, no way would it work…. But at this point, it was worth a shot.

As the Hinox approached, Astor pulled out a weird orb covered in gears. It faintly glowed a menacing light pink as it levitated off Astor's left hand. He was shocked that it finally worked enough to even levitate. He would think about it later, for now, he had a dumb giant to take care of. 

Glancing at Link, who was still laying underneath the tree, Astor growled in anger.  
"How dare you hurt Link, foul beast! For your insolence, I will have you evaporate where you stand!" Astor felt a deep pit of hate form in his stomach as the astrolabe glowed brighter and brighter. Over one hundred years of underutilization made the seer a bit rusty, but he still remembered one deadly spell. It had always been his favourite due to how destructive it could be. If he could destroy a town, then he could destroy this Hinox. As the pit of anger grew and grew with the rising power of the weapon, so did the burning on his face. For once, Astor didn't care much for it as he focused on the task at hand.

Chanting the quick and easy spell, the orb suddenly went dark again before expelling all that energy right at the Hinox. Going right through its chest and out the back, then raising up to blast it's hideous head away. It left a hole right in the centre of its body as it fell. Never hitting the ground at it disappeared into thin air like the rest of the ungodly creatures that roamed Hyrule. 

The orb fell to the ground, out of energy. The pit of hate in Astor's stomach dispatched along with the beast. He took a brief moment to recover. Link was still lying underneath the busted tree. Only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of his damaged lungs. The wind was still as Astor breathed deeply, steadying in his beating heart.

It had been years since he last used the thing. Even after all this time, he could still summon the malice once locked inside. It was still useful…  
What wasn't useful was him sitting there while his love slowly died in a corner. Freaking out, Astor quickly crawled above the hero and rummaged through his bag for any potions. They had made some sometime after the Death Mountain incident and now was a great time to use one. Astor cradled his head and propped him up. He held the potion to Link’s lips and slowly poured the drink down. Such a beautiful mouth, what could he do with it… Astor was tempted to kiss it. Now was not the time though, Link’s health came first. Astor pushed aside the lustful thoughts and gently fed him the potion.

Bones snapped and cracked back into place and before long, Link took a giant gulp of fresh air. His own breathing steadied as his bones tried to reorganize inside his body. Looking up, he could see a very worried seer staring back with his one eye. Astor looked much more tired than usual, with sweat covering his pale face.

Without thinking Link reached up and wiped some of the sweat off in a reassuring way. Not thinking about his still damaged body, Link winced in pain, remembering the Hinox that caused it.  
That Hinox…

Link frantically looked around for it, not finding a single trace of its existence. The damage was still all there, but the monster was nowhere to be seen.  
"It's okay Link. I killed it on my own." Astor said solemnly. Link shot his head back to his boyfriend, a gap at the statement. The man couldn't even kill a chu chu on his own let alone a Hinox! How did he...

Astor gave a soft smile," You did most of the work though. All it took was one good stab to the leg and eye." It was a lie, but he didn't want to sit there and give a history lesson to the poor hero. Not when they were so close to the castle and his face was screaming at him to scratch it off. Link relaxed a little, knowing that Assy was at least safe for the time being.

"So.. we should get going.. right? No use sticking around for more monsters eh?" Link felt a sharp stab every time he inhaled. There was no way he was going anywhere fast anytime soon… he would have to hobble or hitch a ride from Astor. And he doubted the other man was up for such a thing.  
Astor hummed in agreement,"Precisely what I was thinking, you think you can move on your own?" Astor was at least ready to support Link if he needed it.  
"Yea, let me just check…"

Link tried standing up, his torso burning. He gets up into a weird crouch before a particularly sharp jab in the ribs causes him to collapse once more. It was no use, Link was stuck waiting for his body to recover enough just to stand. It would at least take hours, maybe an entire day. Dejected, Link hung his head down in defeat. To let a Hinox of all things force him onto his knees like this was humiliating. Especially in front of the seer.

Astor, seeing this and not knowing what to do, just sat there. What could he say? Hey it's gonna be fine just toughen up? Or, don't worry about it, we can just sit together in agony and wait it out. All of those sounded asinine.

Now dejected himself, Astor scooted up Link and put his arm around him, slightly leaning in. At least Link made him feel a bit better….  
Suddenly there was a loud snorting not too far off. Just behind one of the hills actually. It sounded like a horse… maybe multiple horses due to their nature to stay in packs.

Both men looked off in that direction in amazement before looking back at each other. No way was there a convenient pack of wild horses nearby.  
Another loud snort of a horse only confirmed their theory. Standing up, Astor ran up and over the hill to find the horses causally grazing the grasslands. Clearlying enjoying the openness of the wild. Astor pitted them for a second. To be so open and carefree without needing to worry about a damn thing. Oh but they were gonna worry soon, as Astor hatched a brilliant plan.

Link needed someone to carry him, they could use a faster mode of travel, and there happened to be a pretty able body pack of wild horses in front of him. It was clear as day what the seer was thinking. The only issue was that Astor needed to be the one to tame a horse, as Link was currently out of commission. 

It shouldn't be that hard right? The memory of trying to tame wild horses before played in the back of Astor's mind. Things would be different though. Link needed him to do this if they were gonna get away from that fucking cursed castle and get closer to Rito villiage. His face flared up at the thought of it alone.

Astor was determined to catch this fucking horse. Even if he ended up with his own set of broken ribs.  
*******

For all the shit Kassy gave the Yiga, she had to admit that their base was pretty homey for a bunch of assassins. It was dark with only light being the candles that littered the walls, but hey, it was a pleasant sort of dark. Many Yiga busied themselves by cleaning their weapons or practicing in the training yard, Kassy's favorite place. She loved spending her time taking down blademasters like they were normal everyday travellers. Supluxing their dumb asses to the ground was quite fun.

"Scout you’re late! I was so worried for you!" Just like that Kassy's mood was soured. She could smell the stench of mighty bananas before she even saw him. The leader of the Yiga, Master Kogha, was always too worried about the little things. Whether it be for everyone's safety or their health or what, he was always worried. Especially when it came to the only heir to the Kogha title.

Kogha grabbed at his son and checked him over for any damage. "I know I gotta let you leave the nest and explore and all that but the world is dangerous kiddo! Especially with a hero on the loose!" 

Kassy leaned on the nearest door frame to watch the spectacle. Scout was way too used to this kinda treatment, munching on a banana like it was no big deal. Kassy faintly worried about the poor kid's mental state, being treated like he was 10 when he's 17. She remembered reading somewhere that the heir of the Kogha title typically overthrows the current one around their late teens, early adulthood.

"Sorry Father, we were just hot on the traitor's tail and wanted to bring his head back for ya." Scout was a bit upset that he didn't succeed, but hey, life goes on for everyone but the people you murder right?

Kogha just seemed more upset, "Scout my son, the love of my life, my ONE and only child, that's not your mission!" He emphasized. "Your mission was to find him and let the professionals take care of it!"  
Clearly Kogha never imagined his son actually finding what should have been a very dead man from 100 years ago. Maybe remains but not a lively breathing person!

"I understand but-" Scout motioned at Kassy, "My friend here says she's a professional and I thought I would impress you by killing the Seer myself!" Way to rat her out like that.

Kogha sighed,"I understand that, but that man is more dangerous than he looks… I should know." Everyone knew what he meant. There was a mantle in the center of the entrance dedicated to the Yiga lost serving the great Calamity. The ones whose lives were taken by Astor for his "greater purpose." Flowers, Bananas, and trinkets get offered to the memorial all the time. Especially for the greatest warrior among them, Master Sooga, who died protecting Master Kogha. 

It also served to remind Kassy just how much that awful man impacted so many lives, even the scum of Hyrule were not spared his wrath.   
Sighing, Kassy spoke up,  
"Look I'm sorry for your loss. But if this little pity party is over, I would like to go back out and hunt that man down." She paused. "The quicker he's dead the quicker you can get me out of your hair." 

Master Kogha nodded, even though he didn't really want Kassy to leave, she's been an extremely good ally despite their first interaction. It was hard to trust strangers after all when the last one took out half your men and lover.   
He really hoped Scout would shoot his shot soon.  
"Of course, how about you two head out tomorrow after a good rest! Can't go whooping butt tired and on an empty stomach!"

Scout childishly agreed, "Yeah! Come one Kassy, even I know you're really tired at the moment! I can see the bags under your eyes!" Kassy blushed as she touched the underside of her face. It was quite embarrassing to get called out like that on her horrided sleeping habits.

"Maybe we could have a sleepover with some blademasters or hang out and read some scriptures!" Scout was working himself up in excitement. He really was a kid with a body count. 

"That's my boy! A true Kogha always finds fun in things!" Master Kogha was also working himself up in exiemtment, Truly Scout's father. As son and Father bounce ideas off each other, Kassy stood and reneminced her own family.

Most of them were either dead or peacefully living their lives working at a stable. Her parents would have never enabled her like Kogha does to Scout. It was always work or study. Her few moments of freedom from chores was spent with her grandmother as she told tales of the great calamity. Kassy had loved her so much, so it was heartbreaking when she inevitably died of old age.

The one thing her grandmother always wished for was to get revenge on the person who caused her so much grief growing up. But she never got the chance in her old age…

"Hey Kassy? Does that sound like a good idea?" Kassy snapped back to reality, not hearing a word the two men had said.  
"Um? Oh sure whatever." She didn't know what she was agreeing to, nor cared.

"Great! Then tomorrow morning you can go into Gerudo town and get some supplies!" Kassy should have been listening, now she didn't know what was going on as the two men jumped around in excitement. Fake it till you make it eh?

"Whatever, just know I'm not doing any stupid slumber party or whatever. I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me."  
With that Kassy walked off to let the two do some father and son bonding or whatever. Several Yiga scurried off before Kassy walked by, having been listening in on the conversation. It didn't matter as Kassy caught the tail end of one of them running off, they would be dealt with later on the training grounds. For now, Kassy was tired and needed some decent sleep. She had a mission to carry out for her late grandmother and she'd be damned if lack of sleep prevented her next attempt at Astor's life.  
*****

Astor had been damn near close to breaking his ribs trying to chase down a horse. He was exhausted; finally cornering a nice solid black steed into a tree. Climbing on top wrangling all his remaining strength away to calm it down. Being thrown around like a house in a tornado is something Astor never wished to experience again…

Things had been quicker with their newest "companion." With Astor steering and Link holding on from behind giving directions, things had been going on relevilty smoothly. 

At one point Astor was having some difficulty controlling the horse, accidentally running over some unexpected monsters. The crunch of bone against hoof was horrible, yet Link couldn't contain his sadistic laughter. Astor had been scared for the Hero's sanity but couldn't help feeling good about it either. After that Link lovingly dubbed the horse, Crusher. The name was already starting to grow on the Seer. 

Once Astor finally got the horse back in control, Link couldn't help complimenting him, "You're doing great sweetie!" Astor couldn't help the healthy blush that painted his pale face. 

Link sourly realized he wouldn't be able to get the next few map pieces for his slate when they rode up on the Ridgeland tower. Surrounded by muddy water and electric monsters. There was no way Astor was gonna let a weakened Link attempt to climb the tower. 

That electric Wizzrob was just laughing at them, begging them to try it. Waving its arms around trying to get their attention and smacking its bum in taunts. Astor held his tongue, or tried to at least while they passed by. Link didn't have the same self control. Making sure to give that monster a few good middle fingers and a verbal "Fuck you" until neither could see the tower anymore.

They arrived at a stable by nightfall, the perfect place to rest. Neither man wanted to deal with registering Crusher and pay a 20 rupee fee so they let the wild beast roam the perimeter. Much to the amusement of Link as the horse immediately went to harass a poor worker carrying a bucket of apples. Snorting and stomping it's hooves trying to steal the delicious fruit. Link was already in love.

As Link sat by the open fire outside the stable, Astor returned from paying for the two beds. The seer looked to be in a particularly good mood, not even caring that he just talked to a stranger about bed prices. Sure he got a strange look at first glance, but the worker had been very kind and helpful.

Astor notices Link's staring, a soft smile stretched on his deformed face.   
"Well. How's the Hero of Hyrule fairing with his broken bones?" He sat down next to Link.

" He's feeling a lot better after that run in with the Hinox. Bet he'll be ready to start walking again by tomorrow." The fire was warm, but the slight blush on Link's cheeks was even warmer. It felt kinda weird to be openly flirting with Astor like this, even if they are a thing now. Just a few weeks ago, he had been left at the man's mercy after saving his life from those hunters. Left in that dank dark house to bleed out all night as the man slept in his cozy bed. But that's only a memory now.

Astor's smile only grew as he sat down right next to Link."Hmmm, Well I suppose he's going to need extra sleep tonight then. We’ve had a lot traveling and beating bad guys up to do tomorrow." He stifled through his bag, pulling out what looked to be hearty radishes in a small container. Link was curious at what the seer was planning, no doubt he was gonna attempt dinner again. The memory or stinky soup is already killing his appetite.

As Astor clumsily stuck the radishes onto tiny sticks, Link stiffel through his own bag finding mushrooms and tiny chunks of meat. The Hero reached over his boyfriend's lap to grab the sticks. "Here let me help." Astor complied with a defeated sigh. They both know he would end up ruining dinner somehow, even if the Seer was trying for once. Before Link pulled away though he planted a quick kiss of thanks on the other's cheek. 

Astor stiffened, not knowing how to respond as the blush only grew. Link swiftly and expertly stuck the mushrooms and meat next to the radishes, putting the filled sticks on top of the cooking pot to roast. The aroma made their stomachs that much emptier. How long had it been since either of them had a proper meal? Way too long.

Astor touched the area Link had kissed. The faint feeling of his lips on his dry skin was to say the least a very pleasant feeling. He would have to ask for more later, maybe when they go to bed later that night they could reenact their confession. Without the crying of course. Oh he was turning into jelly just thinking about it.

As the food cooked, Link went back to watching their horse attempting to steal apples. Crusher had successfully swiped the bucket and was running away from the poor worker. Link laughed and chanted "Go Crusher go!" The worker was not amused at all. Astor couldn't help chanting with Link, also finding it hilarious. Suddenly Astor picked up on the voices of some nearby kids talking. 

"So if we stay up really late tonight we get to see the great monster under the bridge!" A younger boy exclaimed.

"But you know mom and dad… they wouldn't let us do something like that! Plus I heard it's a dragon, not some monster." Said a much more shy girl.

"Oh please it will be fine! We just need to sneak out at night and wait. We can go back to bed once we see it!" The little boy berated. Clearly upset at the girl for being such a scaredy cat.

What they were talking about peaked Astor's interest. Everyone's heard of the three legendary Dragons that roam Hyrule. Not many people get a chance to see them but they are said to be the most beautiful things in the world. Well, not as beautiful as Link's ocean blue eyes but you get the point. It would be quite the treat if they could see one for themselves, no doubt Link would want to see it himself. 

"Hey Assy, the food is ready! Eat up before I take all of it for myself idiot!" That snapped Astor out of an increasingly lewd daydream, he'd really need to learn to stop that. Both men ate in a comfortable silence, neither really having a conversation topic that wouldn't lead to horrible memories. The Hearty Radishes in the dish helped Link recover much quicker as it patched up small cuts and bruises.

By the time Astor took his last bit of the delicious food, most of the people around had already gone to bed. He was about ready to clock out himself until remembering that conversation from earlier.  
With a smirk on his face Astor asked,"Link I have a surprise for you. Wanna go see if we can spot a dragon?" That piped Link's interest immediately. 

Who wouldn't want to see a dragon? He heard somewhere that following a dragon will lead you to its pot of gold at the end of a rainbow or something. Or maybe it was its hoard of treasure in a cave. Either way, potential treasure!  
"Fuck yeah I wanna see a dragon!" 

Smiling, Astor got up and grabbed Links hand, heading to the bridge he was certain the kids were talking about. It was old as moss covered the edges and planks were missing. Nestled right in between a deep canyon. It was nothing compared to others they've passed by, but it still gave Astor the hibbie-jibbies being on it.   
Holding Link's hand as they stood on top of the bridge, "Now all we have to do is wait."

Link didn't respond, he was too focused on keeping an eye out for anything dragon like. It was childish, but that's what Astor liked about him. Being so upbeat in a destroyed world, always finding the good in things. Astor couldn't help lovingly stare at his boyfriend.   
"Hey Assy what am I even looking for exactly?"

"Hmm I don't really know. scriptures depict them being serpent like with horns and multiple legs. But who knows how true that is." As much as Astor didn't want to look down, he did in search of the dragon. Immediately getting woozy at the drop. The ground below looked hard, and one misstep would cause his doom. Astor took a quick step back not wanting to look down more than needed, not seeing anything dragon like.

Link giggled, "Looks like Assy has a fear of heights eh?"   
"Oh shut it you. I'm sure you have your own set of fears." Astor tried to sound angry, but he really wasn't. Sure it was embarrassing to be called out on his fear of heights but it's a very logical fear! 

"Nope, I'm not afraid of anything!" Link puffed his arms to show off his toned muscles from fighting and climbing. Astor was indeed impressed, but not for the reason Link would be expecting.  
The seer poked his own fun,"Oh really now? I'm sure even the Hero has a few fears up his sleeves. Maybe you hate fighting certain monsters like a Lynal or being in a large body of water."

As they lovingly bickered at one another, Link wrapped his arms around Astor in a nice hug. The other man didn't seem to notice in the moment. Wrapping his own arms in a protective hold.

"Alright you got me, I'm a little scared of large bodies of water. Fighting Vah Ruta was horrible!" Astor laughed at Link's confession. To think the embodiment of courage was scared of a little water. But the more he thought about it, the more Astor realized he also had a fear of the ocean. Who knew what monstrosities lived under there? His laughter quickly died down.

Link quickly caught on to this,  
"Pff and here you were making fun of me for it!" Now it was time for Astor to be embarrassed. His ear drooped a bit.  
Link chuckled, "Well don't worry about it, I'll protect you from the scary large bodies of water, even if I hate it as well." He patted Astor’s back heartily. 

Astor had to restrain himself from rolling his eye. Link made it sound like he was some child with an irrational fear.  
"Well then I'll keep that in mind when I'm drowning in the tub." Link snorted at the teasing joke.

"Well you better save me when I fall into a puddle then!" He lightly smacked Astor to get his point across. The seer gave him a small smile in return. This is what dating is like? Playful teasing, confessions, and things Astor would have never done 100 years ago. He would have been too stuck up and full of himself to care about someone like he cares for Link now. It was quite liberating really.

It felt wonderful to feel loved, something he would give anything to experience again and again. Even if… something in the back of his mind is nagging otherwise. Live in the moment Assy.

As it got later in the night, fireflies announced themselves with their glowing bodies. It was peaceful. It was quiet. It was the perfect time for Link to pull Astor down out of nowhere and give him a soft kiss on his dry lips. The unexpected turn of events was greatly appreciated. The mage wrapped his arms around Link and kissed him back. As quickly as it started, Link pulled away from him to stare at a very flustered Assy.

Then Link looked dejected.  
"Hmmm we still never got to see that dragon." Astor was just about to answer when suddenly a loud roar came from below. Both men looked over the bridge just for a giant serpent to come flying out of nowhere! It had to be longer than the canyon itself as it seamlessly floated up into the sky. It looked damn near identical to the description Astor gave, as he stared bewildered. He didn't exactly have his hopes up to say the least.

Link, with his normal childish behavior, jumped up and down on the worn bridge. Too excited to keep his emotions in check, Astor couldn't blame him, his own mouth agape. A ferocious heat radiated off the beast as it passed by, flying higher and higher into the sky. It looked down on them with its giant eyes, Astor swore it looked like it was smirking. 

"Wow! I knew it was real!" Link exclaimed, pulling out his slate and pointing it at the flaming dragon. A loud snap rang out, Astor had no idea what the other was doing. The dragon finally flew so high up it disappeared into the dark sky. No trace left of its existence remained except for the two men that witnessed it. Astor was the first to speak, "That was… phenomenal. And to think we actually got to see it…"

"I know right?! I even got another picture to boot!" Link shoved the slate up in Astor's face, showing a spot on image of the dragon they just witnessed. The seer was even more amazed now.  
"How did you-

"It's called a camera! I don't really use it too often but for once I remembered!" Astor took the slate for himself, touching the screen until it swiped to the left, showing images of Link with other people. One of a small child doing a strange pose another of yet another dragon! But this one looked… sick. Covered in malice as it layed on top of an icy mountain. It looked in pain and begging for death. It- it- Link took back the slate before Astor could spiral out of control.

Link knew exactly where Astor's mind was heading seeing all that malice. "Don't worry about it Assy, I had saved it afterwards." He sounded dejected, like the memory was too horrible to bear at the moment. Link continued, "We should get to bed soon, It's been a long day.

Astor couldn't help but agree, it'd been too eventful for his taste. Almost having Link die not too long after confessing his feelings was too much. "You're right, the earlier we rise the quicker we can get to Rito." 

Link yawned in agreement, walking off the bridge and back to the stable. Astor was still distraught at that image of the corrupt dragon. If malice can do that to a dragon who knows what it could do to a normal person. Clearly he had been lucky to rip all the malice off when he could.

As Astor followed behind Link to their beds, he worried if he would have another restless night again.  
******

The answer was yes, Astor barely got any sleep that night. Link had to roll a very groggy and cranky seer out of bed. He kept up the attitude even after breakfast.  
Astor was just not in the mood for it as Link steered Crusher across the bridge and through the Tabantha mountains. The hero was much better at riding then Astor had been yesterday, it was as if he and the horse understood each other. 

Link would periodically pet Crusher anytime it ran over a poor monster or followed directions. He was doing everything to ignore the seer's sour attitude by instead giving a wild animal more attention. Astor was jealous that Link would give more attention to a meer horse than him.  
"So are you going to just drop me off in a ditch somewhere soon?"  
Link sighed in frustration,"What do you mean? I'm not abandoning you Assy, merely giving my best friend attention." 

"What? Since when did a sadistic wild horse become your best friend?" Astor asked accusingly. The two had just met! There was no way Link was that attached already!

"It became my best friend when it didn't immediately start talking back to me and complaining about the sun being too bright." Link snarled, he honestly wasn't in the mood to deal with Astor's shit at the moment. Luckily the other man shut up after that. Astor continued to stew in foul jealousy until Link suddenly stopped at the base of the two mountains.  
"There's a tower up here so I'll be right back. You two play nice alright? Don't want to find my boyfriend stomped to death."

Crusher snorted as if considering it, the sadistic bastard. In a sarcastic tone Astor reliped,"Of course darling. While you're at it, bring us a chu chu or something to call it your husband." Link glared at Astor, not liking his crass tone.  
"Maybe get off your high horse while I'm gone or else I'll consider throwing you off it myself." That was the end of the conversation as Link swiftly walked off and up the mountain. Not giving Astor enough time to retort.  
Now it was just him and the horse. It looked back at him, watching his every move. Astor sneered,"What are you looking at?" Crusher just kept on staring.

"Grrrh I don't know who you think you are trying to steal Link from me like this, but I don't like you one bit!" It was a childish conversation. Astor must have seemed crazy talking to a horse like it was a person, but he didn't care, he was upset and angry cause he didn't get enough sleep. It was a perfect reason to lash out a horse!

Before realizing it, Link returned, albeit with a few scratches and a twig in his hair. He was beaming so proud until he noticed Astor's mood hadn't changed. Great now his own mood had been dampened again. Deciding that if Astor was gonna be an ass all day, then he'd do the same. Link hopped up on Crusher without addressing his boyfriend.  
"Hey Crush, hope you didn't have to wait too long buddy. Got you a present while up there." 

He pulled out a ripe juicy apple from earlier and gave it to Crusher, much to the horse's delight. Astor just sat behind and seethed. Still not addressing the ticking time bomb of anger, Link ushered Crusher to continue forward. The path was pretty clear with not much trouble. It seemed like the trio would have relative ease getting past the steep hills and narrow paths. One wrong step was a tumbled down jagged rocks and a slow painful death.

As they passed by a small hill, Astor spotted a particularly strange rock formation, but said nothing in spite. It looked to be another Talus but now on horseback, they should be able to get away from it with ease. Thus he says nothing. Link doesn't see it and before long a small tremor proves Astor's theory. What he had miscalculated, was being able to get away in time. As suddenly a large rock whizzes past their heads and lands on the road, spooking Crusher into a complete stop as it reared up on its hind legs in fear. It almost toppled Astor off as he hung on Link for dear life.

Link looked behind them to witness the large Talus rising from the ground. There was no way they could escape with Crusher freaking out like this, and leaving it behind was not gonna be an option. Link was not about to leave his horse behind to the whims of a monster like that!  
With a harsh glare, Link pulled out his Lynal bow and jumped off Crusher.  
"Astor! Try calming down Crush! I'll deal with the Talus."

Astor quickly took a hold of the reins as Crusher thrashed around in fear. He tried everything to make sure it didn't go running off the nearby cliff. Link aimed and shot the Talus right in it's clear weak spot. The ore deposit that acted more like a bleeding heart then a deposit.   
The arrow momentarily stunned the creature as Link went in with more arrows, keeping his distance. But soon the effect wore off, and the Talus swung its giant rock arm at Link, who easily dodged. He should have been looking out behind him. Not realizing that Astor and Crusher were still behind him, but it was too late, as Astor took the full force of the attack, being launched into the hill right next to them. 

A loud snap of bones against rock, and Astor was coughing up blood and gasping for air. The mage passed out from the pain as the world went dark. That left Crusher alone as it was even more spooked then before. Wildly running around trying to escape. Link couldn't multitask calming down Crusher and fighting the Talus, so he picked the Talus first. Pulling out his much more powerful fire arrows and swiftly finishing off the Talus. It disappeared into the usual cloud of smoke as precious jewelry fell to the ground. Now wasn't the time to be picking out treasure.

Link tossed his bow monetarily to chase down Crusher. He needed to calm it down before something bad happened! Unfortunately as Link ran up on it without thinking, Crusher ran the other direction also without thinking. And before Link realized it, the poor black horse stepped on a loose rock. Losing its balance, falling down into more ragged rocks. Crusher screamed in terror.

Link watched in horror as its body tumbled and fell. Hitting more jagged rocks on the way down until finally, its lifeless body hit the ground. Crusher's limps pointed in ways it shouldn't as a slow stream of blood poured out of the body. It seemed Crusher had a double meaning now as the poor horse's body was indeed crushed. Link couldn't bear to look at the horrifying scene. He had to look away. That was the moment Astor stirred back into the waking world, seeing the aftermath of the battle.

Link was silently crying while looking away from the steep cliffs, the horse nowhere in sight. Astor wasn't dumb, he easily connected the pieces as he slowly got up. Pain shooting up his spine almost caused him to crumble, but he was used to agony and pushed the unbearable pain to stand up.  
"L-link… a little help here?" He sputtered out between flakes of blood.

Link finally took notice of the wounded man, but didn't move to help. He just stood there crying. It must have seemed pathetic honestly, to cry over a horse they only had for a day. But it wasn't just about the horse. The champions, his family, everyone Link's ever loved all ended up dead. It was a curse honestly, to watch those you love burn up and die then forget about them. The same was gonna happen to Astor wasn't it!

Link kept building himself up to full on cry-shouting. Babbling about the champions or Zelda. Astor wobbled his way over to the hero, a pained breath in each of his steps until he was able to grab Link's shoulder. That seemed to snap him out of his babbling for a second. As tears streamed down his swollen eyes, Astor couldn't help but hug him with his good arm. The bad one being forgotten momentarily out of painful habit.

That only served to make Link cry harder as he balled out, "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." Until his throat clinched up, rendering him momentarily mute. They stood there like that, until Link calmed down enough for the seer to speak up.  
"It's okay Link. None of this is your fault. It's Ganon's and everyone who expects so much from you. I should be the sorry one."

From Astor's angle, he could see the deceased body of Crusher, shedding a few tears himself. It had been a good horse, and he was sorry to see it end up like this. 

"You hate me don't you! Everyone has! The few memories of Zelda I've had did and and-." This was the most open Link had ever been about his problems. It was best Astor didn't waste it. "Why else would you be so mean today! I messed up last night didn't I? Overstepped my boundaries and acted like a fool. Didn't I?" Link was clinching onto Astor's destroyed robes for dear life. As if he let go, then the seer would disappear along with the rest of his loved ones.  
"I can't seem to do anything right! You probably just faked liking me so you could just benefit off me right?" Link had his head in Astor's shoulder, no doubt getting it wet with tears.

"Link my… love." It felt weird saying that word, love, but Link needed to hear it. "That's not true at all. I do love you and I know I must not be showing it as much as I should. This dating thing is.. new to me to say the least." A pang of guilt hit him since he had once traveled with the hero for his own gain but now It was all true, coming right out of the heart. Link must have sensed this as he slowly calmed down with each word.  
"This world is a cruel one, one that has done nothing but taken and taken only to ask for more. Nothing is your fault my love. Fault those who have given you this fate of suffering, not your own!" Astor started to tear up again. That statement rang just the same truth for him. His awful father and years of abuse by his hand could attest for that.

Link finally calmed down enough to release Astor from his hold, which was a slight mistake as he was using Link as support. Having to immediately hold the Seer up again. "Thank you Assy, for the kind words but um… sorry you had to hear that from me. I didn't mean to explode like that... months of bottled up emotions can get to ya…" for the first time, Astor was the first one to make a move as he gave Link a quick kiss. Not even thinking about it.  
"It's fine, I'm just glad you got it out now rather than in a deathly situation." 

The two shared a shaky laugh before Link looked down the cliff at poor Crusher. He was still upset but accepted that it was an unforeseen accident. Can't go crying about it again now.  
"Welp looks like our fast travel is dead. We'll have to continue on foot from here. Shouldn't be too long!" And just like that, Link's cheery demeanor had returned, much to the delight of his boyfriend. The hero easily swooped Astor up in a bride style carry and began his run. Much to Astor's amusement and discomfort of being carried like a child, he was glad to see Link in high spirits once more. He should learn to do the same as that mistreatment from earlier started to put a sour taste in his mouth. He would have to fix that later. For now he revealed in the warmth Link produced in the increasingly cold climate.

Luckily the next stable wasn't that far off as the duo finally spotted Rito Village. The rock formation of the Village was a sight to see. And just above the humble village was surely the duo's next target. A large mechanical bird with the same pinkish glow the other two divine beasts had. They were halfway done now. After this and one more divine beast, Link would have to face off Ganon. Astor didn't know whether to be scared or happy this will all be over soon.  
As they stared at the divine beast, it gave a loud screech worse than the last two. Making Astor's face give that all too familiar itch… They’d be in for quite the fight as usual he supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe finally I get to write about my boy Kogha! Ansty Yiga husbands reference anyone?


End file.
